In today’s production world, every filmmaker wants to have wireless video in their camera package. Not only does it allow for HD wireless monitoring, but it makes handhelds, gimbals, cranes, and many mobile camera setups much more achievable. Needless to say, it’s leagues better than having cables on set, and you won’t find many productions without it these days.

But while wireless video is wanted on every shoot, it can still be out of the budget range for many professionals. Whether you’re an indie filmmaker, small production house, film student, etc., having a wireless monitoring system for every shoot can really step up your game. We know film tools can get expensive, so we decided to make our zero-delay technology more accessible than ever before. This is the Ace 500.

Here are 5 reasons to have it in your kit:

1. Incredibly Affordable

Higher-end productions want feature-rich and versatile wireless video systems, and the Bolt is perfect for their needs. But if you just want HD wireless monitoring without the extras, Ace 500 is made for you.

The Ace 500 is built with the same wireless performance as the Bolt line while keeping the features simple and affordable. It delivers uncompressed 1080p60 video with zero delay at up to 500 ft. of wireless range, and sports a single HDMI input & output for connecting to video cameras including DSLRs, camcorders, action cams, or any camera with HDMI support. This allows filmmakers who work with smaller camera systems to easily add wireless monitoring to their setup without breaking the bank.

Starting at just $999, Ace 500 is both powerful and budget-friendly. Need a monitor too? SmallHD has you covered. Use the Ace 500 with a SmallHD FOCUS 5 and get a complete wireless monitoring kit for just under $1500! Or take advantage of our Ace 500 Monitor Bundles, which will be released soon.

2. Built For Any Camera Setup

The Ace 500 isn’t just designed just for small camera systems. At just 126g for the transmitter and 146g for the receiver, Ace 500 is extremely compact and lightweight, making it ideal for DSLRs and cinema cameras alike. But another benefit of its form factor is mounting to mobile workflows. Need to mount on a gimbal, drone or Easy Rig? With Ace 500, you won’t have to worry about your transmitter adding any excessive weight. Similarly, Ace’s ultra-light receiver keeps your monitor lightweight and portable so you can move around effortlessly on set.

3. Compatible with Bolt 500

Already use Bolt 500 but want to add more wireless units? Ace 500 TXs & RXs are fully compatible with Bolt 500 TXs and RXs, meaning you can transmit video with the Ace TX and receive video on both the Ace RX and Bolt RX. In fact, you can transmit to up to any combination of 4 receivers simultaneously, whether that’s Ace, Bolt, Sidekick or SmallHD integrated monitors.

4. Compatible with SmallHD Bolt Monitors

Handheld monitors are so useful and versatile, but mounting Bolt receivers to the back results in a janky, bulky mess. That’s why we’ve developed SmallHD monitors with Bolt 500 receivers built-in. They’re lightweight, ergonomic, and super clean.

What makes Ace 500 special is: because it’s compatible with the Bolt ecosystem, it’s also compatible with SmallHD’s Bolt monitor line. This includes the FOCUS Bolt, 703 Bolt, FOCUS 7 Bolt and Cine 7 Bolt. Pair the Ace TX with any of these monitors to give yourself a complete all-in-one handheld monitoring system.

Alternatively, you can pair SmallHD’s on-camera FOCUS Bolt TX or Cine 7 TX with the Ace RX for a compact, streamlined camera setup that’s free of cables, arms and clutter.

5. A Clean Powering Solution

Want to keep the Ace TX and RX completely cable-free? Both TX and RX come with optional battery plates that can be attached directly to the unit, allowing you to power it via a Canon LP-E6, Sony L-Series, BP-U, or BP-9 battery. This is designed for rigging on smaller camera systems without professional camera batteries to power the Ace TX, and rigging on handheld monitors to keep the setup lightweight and portable.

Learn more about the Ace 500 at:https://teradek.com/collections/ace]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/how-teradek-rt-works-with-your-smallhd-monitor2019-05-15T18:18:00-07:002019-05-16T13:16:29-07:00How Teradek RT Works With Your SmallHD MonitorAndy Cheng

Teradek & SmallHD have been working together on a lot of neat stuff lately. First there was the 703 Bolt, a 7-inch monitor with side handles and a built-in Bolt receiver. Then came SmallHD’s FOCUS Bolt 5-inch & 7-inch monitors with the same setup. Now, Cine 7 is here with the same technological integration, but with built-in camera control for ARRI, RED, Sony, and other cinema cameras. Bolts and monitors get a lot of love, but that’s not all there is!

Teradek RT is bringing never-before-seen tools to the wireless lens control world that aims to revolutionize how filmmakers pull focus, and SmallHD monitors are playing a big role. The new controllers, CTRL.1 and CTRL.3 (coming soon), all feature lens mapping with pre-marked lens & iris rings. But the most unique feature is how they work with SmallHD monitors running OS3.

Looking for your next follow focus system? Own a SmallHD monitor already? Check out the latest feature in Teradek RT: lens data overlays.

First, What Are CTRL.1 & CTRL.3?

CTRL.1 & CTRL.3 are lens controllers that offer wireless control of 1 axis and 3 axes respectively. They feature large focus knobs, LCD displays with configuration buttons, and a Rosette mounting point. Aside from transmitting up to 5,000 ft. of instant, wireless FIZ controls, the controllers also offer lens mapping and a cutting-edge tool called lens data overlays on SmallHD monitors.

So What Are Lens Data Overlays Exactly?

When CTRL.1 or CTRL.3 are connected to a SmallHD monitor running OS3, they send your lens maps directly to the monitor. This includes lens focus distance information, iris, and zoom, which appear as subtle overlays directly on the image. As you adjust each axis with your controller, the lens information - focus distance, iris, zoom - is updated in real-time on your monitor.

What's Great About Overlays?

Focus pullers have a lot to look at - the monitor, controller, camera & lens, and the on-screen talent. You need to see the relationship between the actors and the camera to measure distances and ensure controllers are set to specific marks. Then you have to check if the image is in focus.

With so much to look at, it can sometimes be challenging to keep the image sharp. But by displaying the marks on the monitor, you can see where the lens is focused and see iris/zoom data without ever having to take your eyes off the image, meaning you can pull focus perfectly on each take.

How Do I Get the Overlays From My Controller to My Monitor?

Before you can send overlays to the monitor, you have to set up your lens maps. We created a very simple guide to doing this in the video below. Note: CTRL.3 controllers will be able to create & load lens maps with the Teradek RT App for iOS.

Then, use this specially-designed arm to mount a SmallHD monitor directly to the CTRL.1/CTRL.3’s Rosette mounting point. This creates a handheld monitoring and focus pulling station you can take anywhere on set.

Once the units are connected, follow these steps to set up the overlays from the controller and monitor.

A Complete Ecosystem

If you use Teradek & SmallHD gear, chances are you’ll probably have a monitor with a built-in Bolt receiver. By adding Teradek RT into your workflow, you have an entire ecosystem of streamlined monitoring & lens control. The camera sends video directly to your handheld monitor, where you can wirelessly pull focus/iris/zoom and see critical lens info right on the display.

Matte boxes can really come in handy for blocking harsh lights from hitting your lens, especially when you’re shooting under direct sunlight. Not only do they make all of your shots consistently lit, but also prevent lens flares and haziness in the image. In addition, matte boxes hold filters to achieve specific looks or regulate the image exposure. And let’s be honest, it also makes you look like a pro!

When it’s time to go out and shoot, you’ll come face-to-face with the task of choosing which matte box you’ll need, and Wooden Camera is here to help. They come in all shapes, sizes, weights, and addons. From filters to French flags to rod clamps, there’s a lot to consider. Which one should you get? Let’s start with your camera setup.

When you’re handheld, on a gimbal, or on a drone, you want to keep everything as compact and lightweight as possible. For these setups, put down the gaff tape and pick up a Zip Box.

Zip Boxes are designed to be extremely lightweight and perfect for shoots where you won’t be constantly switching filters. The unibody rubber composition makes it durable and, most importantly, weigh nearly the same as any standard filter. Zip Boxes are clamp-ons only and can hold up to 2 filters at a time, but switching will require pulling open the box to insert the filter.

The Zip Box comes in 3 different forms: Round, 4x4, and 4x6.5. All three have various sizes based on your outside lens diameter.

Handheld / Gimbal / Studio

Work with both handheld and studio setups? You’ll want a combination between keeping things simple and having more advanced features. That’s where the Zip Box Pro comes in.

Zip Box Pro also has the same lightweight and compact form factor as the original Zip Box, but comes with some extra tools for adaptability. It holds up to 3 filters that are secured via an adjustable spring-loaded latch on the top of the matte box, which makes it easier to install and remove filters. Also unique to the Pro is interchangeable backs that allow you to either clamp the matte box on your lens, or secure it with rods for swing-away vertical/horizontal tilt.

You can get the Zip Box Pro in Clamp-On or Swing-Away form, but they can also be easily switched via 4 screws on the back. Sizes are based on your outside lens diameter.

Handheld / Tripod / All Productions

The UMB-1 Universal Mattebox is designed for all levels of shooting, and has much more versatility than the Zip Box and Zip Box Pro. Whether you work on documentaries, commercials, or high-end feature films, this matte boxe packs all of the features you need for different shooting styles and productions.

What makes the UMB-1 line exceptional are the rotating 4x5.65 filter stages, which allow you to dial in the perfect look from graduated and gradient filters. It has individual tray filters for easily securing filters in place, cloth donuts or lens adapters to fit almost any size lens, and NATO rails & mounting points on the top, left and right sides of the base. Need to be mobile? UMB-1 can be clamped on for lightweight shooting. It can also be mounted via 15mm & 19mm rods with swing-away for quick and easy adjustments.

The UMB-1 comes in 4 models with unique additions to each one. See the chart below to find the right one for you.

Khalid Mohtaseb is a DP currently on set in Wilmington, North Carolina, shooting with Director Alan Ball for his latest feature film. An avid user of Sony’s cinema camera VENICE, Khalid was the first adopter of the new Bolt for Sony VENICE, which he has been using for this production since day one. He shares why VENICE is his weapon of choice, and his first impressions of the Bolt that every filmmaker should know about.

What We’re Shooting With

Khalid -

Without revealing too much about the show, I can say that this is Alan Ball’s most personal film he’s ever written. Being a huge fan of Alan’s for a long time, I wasn’t turning down an opportunity to be the Director of Photography for this project. We started principal photography on April 13.

To me, Sony VENICE is a game-changing camera. I got my hands on one the moment Sony released it. The camera has 8 stops of internal NDs, so having to change external NDs is a thing of the past. When you’re on a month-long shoot, having NDs built-in makes everything so much simpler. What also sold me was the dual ISO. We’re constantly pushing back and forth between 500 and 2500 ISO. It’s extremely sensitive for night shoots under low light and gets us really beautiful shots.

Having the Rialto is huge too. We’re shooting on location for every part of this film, and there are a lot of tight places that traditional cameras - even ALEXA Minis - wouldn’t fit. We can mount the camera on a Hi Hat and pull the Rialto behind a stove or any tight corner without having to move the entire set.

My Impressions of the Bolt 1000 for Sony VENICE

In your typical film environment, wireless video transmitters always have to be rigged to the top of the camera, and that’s just another accessory with cables and antennas taking up space. There’s almost never a good place for them. It makes operating bulky and hard to move around.

The new Bolt changes this completely! Having the transmitter be part of the camera body - even though it makes the camera longer - streamlines our entire camera rig. First, it connects right to the camera body and passes through both power and video. Not a single arm or cable needed for any of this. Behind the Bolt, we have the Sony R7 recorder, Wooden Camera D-Box, and an Anton Bauer battery. It’s a long camera, but everything fits perfectly and we don’t have to worry about accessories getting in the way.

You get top-notch wireless monitoring that can go to your video village while your camera looks clean and professional. My only issue is with the bulky antennas that stick out of the top, which can get in the way sometimes. But all long-range transmitters need antennas, and it’s much cleaner and better than having the transmitter mounted to an arm.

“When you live stream your content, it adds an extra layer of authenticity to your brand. On YouTube, everything is stylized and heavily-edited. We want to break down those barriers and create content that’s relatable and human. We’re just 2 people who are really excited about crane machines and arcades, and we want to bring that excitement to all of our fans in the world.” - Julius, YouTuber and half of The Crane Couple.

Arcades have been a dying breed in America since the 90s, but if you visit The Crane Couple’s YouTube channel, you’d think this was a thriving industry. Based in San Diego, California, Julius & Brittani started their YouTube channel out of a mutual interest in Japanese claw machines and amusement arcades, which have seen a big resurgence recently in California and certain areas in the country. As it turns out, thousands of people share the same love for their hobbies. Their YouTube channel now has over 225K subscribers and the number is only climbing!

Like many YouTube creators, Julius & Brittani wanted to offer their fans more than the standard pre-recorded video. In fact, in April, they had the opportunity to travel to Japan - known in the community as the motherland of arcades - with funds completely crowdfunded by their fans. What better way to show their appreciation than to live stream straight from Japan?

The goal was to stream from any many locations as possible, which meant having a solution that delivers live video from anywhere they went in Japan. Here’s how they did it, and why they chose VidiU Go as their streaming encoder.

A Different Style of Engagement

“For a lot of people in the arcade community, Japan is the motherland. In Japan, you’ll see children go to the arcade after school and businessmen who go after work. There are arcades in every part of Tokyo - you can get off at a train station in Akihabara and there are multiple arcades all within walking distance. And a lot of people associate our channel with Japan since that’s where the UFO Catchers were invented. So we wanted to go there to get the proper experience.”

“We’ve always been really good at interacting with our fanbase. We’ll go through the comments in our YouTube videos and respond to as many of them as we can. But in 2018, we thought about taking this a step further and bringing our fans with us in our gaming activities. So our first live stream was from San Francisco. We took our fans through the Pier, engaged with them, and just hung out like a big family. Unlike digging through comments on YouTube, we could answer their questions then and there. The engagement we have with our fans through live streaming is unlike anything we can get through posted videos.”

“So for our Japan trip, we wanted to show everybody as much of Japan as possible. Not just the arcades - which is what our channel’s known for - but also the culture and everyday life. And the thing with live streaming is: it’s a great way to offer different types of content. Exploring the streets of Akihabara wouldn’t be that interesting in our YouTube videos, but perfect for live streaming where viewers want the full experience. On the other hand, going to a themed cafe and waiting for food isn’t something you’d want to live stream because viewers won’t want to wait. At the end of the day, it’s all about the content you want to show off.”

How They Streamed It

For Julius & Brittani, providing a high-quality live stream from both the streets of Tokyo and deep in the arcades was critical. So they used a customized IRL backpack to make it happen. Here’s the setup:

At the heart of this streaming setup is the VidiU Go, which not only streams to any live platform, but also provides its own internet connection. It has 2x Node USB modems that connect directly to the unit and supply 4G LTE internet for twice the connectivity, and bonds them into a single, robust internet pipeline for rock-solid streaming. The bonded internet allowed Julius & Brittani to roam freely in Japan while delivering solid 1080p60 live streams.

“We heard about VidiU Go last year from an article we read on B&H. That it had HEVC that would offer a ton of data savings for live streaming. So when VidiU Go released this year, we knew we had to get one. In Japan, data isn’t cheap and connectivity is limited, especially once you start going into crowded malls and rural areas. HEVC let us stream at our normal quality but only using half the bandwidth. So instead of spending 6-7 Mbps, we were only using 3 Mbps. This saved us a lot of money and helped us stream super reliably.”

Streaming From Anywhere

“The more connections you have, the less chance of your stream dropping. On one of our streams, we went all the way out to rural Saitama to an arcade center called Everyday UFO. If you ever go here, all you’ll see is rice fields, small buildings here and there, and then this giant arcade dedicated to the world’s largest UFO Catchers.”

“We were EXTREMELY worried about possible connectivity issues here - during our last Japan trip, we attempted to do a quick livestream here on one of our phones, with pretty poor quality results. The building is large with two floors full of arcade games and other electronics, so interference combined with poor rural cell reception was likely to be an issue again, but we actually had a totally smooth streaming experience.”

“Live stream engagement is WAY better versus regular videos/VODs. We have only been running our YouTube channel for about 3 years and doing live streams for less than 1 year, but we have spent a lot of time building up a good community and it shows in our live streams. Live streams allow us to interact so much faster and more personally than simple comments on a regular video, and our audience loves being able to do the same. We usually do a lot of in-home studio style live streams, but our audience really enjoys seeing outdoor adventures and Japan in particular brought in a LOT more people than we usually see - our home streams average around 200 viewers, while our Japan streams saw around 400-600 viewers!”

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/5-reasons-to-have-cine-7-on-your-next-production2019-05-02T00:19:00-07:002019-05-02T00:23:06-07:005 Reasons to Have Cine 7 On Your Next ProductionAndy Cheng

You might be thinking, isn’t this the Teradek blog? Why are we talking about monitors? Well, if you aren’t aware yet, Teradek, SmallHD and Wooden Camera are now all within the same group of production technology companies known as Creative Solutions. We’re integrating our products closer together to shape the future of film production. So expect to see more of SmallHD and Wooden Camera posts on our blog!

SmallHD has just released their latest professional cinema monitor, the Cine 7. As more filmmakers want monitor their cameras wirelessly, and have complete mobility on set, monitoring solutions are getting smaller, lighter and better. So what makes Cine 7 so great? Here are 5 reasons to consider getting it for your next production:

1. Cinema Camera Control On Your Monitor

Changing camera settings can be time consuming or inconvenient, especially in the middle of a shoot. The on-camera Cine 7 changes that, with ARRI camera control built right into the Cine 7’s touchscreen interface (RED and Sony are coming soon). No need to dig through the ALEXA Mini’s EVF or RED’s default settings menu. Interface with the camera and access OS3’s rich software options all from the convenience of the Cine 7 display. The Alexa Mini / Amira camera control license is sold separately at $500.

For a limited time, SmallHD is offering the ARRI ALEXA Mini and AMIRA camera control license for free if you purchase a Cine 7 by May 19, 2019. Learn more about this promotion here.

2. Unrivaled Image Quality

For a 7-inch monitor, this thing packs A LOT of power. The Cine 7 features a DCI-P3 color gamut that offers more color representation and clarity than ever before, allowing you to see exactly what your camera is capturing. More colors doesn’t just mean an overall balanced enhancement to your display, but also means you can monitor with unprecedented color accuracy, helping you understand where the direction of each take is going.

It’s also designed to function perfectly in any production environment. The 1800 nit display makes it viewable in both studios and the bright outdoors so you have a compact, feature-rich monitor wherever you’re shooting.

3. Built-In Teradek Wireless Video

Cine 7 is great for monitoring on camera or off camera, but for those who want wireless monitoring built-in, Teradek and SmallHD have you covered. There are three different Cine 7 models that have Teradek Bolt transmitters or receivers integrated inside the monitor with just a few antennas popping out the top of the chassis.

Cine 7 Bolt Tx has an integrated Bolt 500 transmitter inside, allowing you to eliminate an additional transmitter module that needs to be connected to power and video on your camera setup. For hand-held models, Cine 7 can be purchased with an optional Bolt 500 RX or Bolt Sidekick (compatible with all Bolt ranges) receiver.

In addition to the versatile camera control and the integrated Teradek hardware features, the Cine 7 also supports lens data overlays from Teradek RT follow focus systems. Connect any Cine 7 monitor to a Teradek RT CTRL.3 or CTRL.1 to view critical focus information such as lens focal distance, focal length, iris, as well as depth of field and Cine Tape distance readout. Overlays allows focus pullers to keep eyes on the image without having to look back and forth between the monitor and controller.

4. Versatile Hardware Design

Filmmakers need more in a monitor than just pristine picture quality. You want something you can bring to every set and be completely prepared. That’s why the Cine 7 comes with a comprehensive array of useful power and mounting options, as well as the accessories you need to open up your box and use the product right away. Here are the main ones:

Across all current SmallHD monitors is one flagship operating system that gives filmmakers all the software tools they need in their monitors: OS3. Access key monitoring features such as waveform, vectorscope, exposure assist, frame lines, 3D LUT overlays and much more while also configuring ARRI, RED and Sony camera settings exclusive to the Cine 7.

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/how-we-stream-perfectly-at-every-high-school-event-feat-instructor-tom-white2019-05-01T23:38:00-07:002019-05-01T23:38:14-07:00How We Stream Perfectly At Every High School Event feat. Instructor Tom WhiteAndy Cheng

“The funny thing about live streaming in schools is: if you don’t have it, you don’t know how great it is. If you do, you can’t live without it. As schools compete in the public space to become relevant, live streaming is one of the best ways to get your school’s name out there. It gives you an opportunity to show what your community can do. I’m committed to making sure my high school gets put on the map.” - Tom White, Instructor of Digital Media at Morgan County High School.

In the past few years, live streaming has proven to be a great alternative to traditional TV broadcasts. We’re seeing media networks, big brands, and even NASA use live streaming to reach audiences all around the world. On a smaller scale, live events, churches, schools and many other groups are all joining the streaming game to get their content in front of viewers. It’s affordable and easy to the point that almost anyone can do it. All you need is the right gear.

Many schools in the U.S. now have the tools and personnel (broadcast students & volunteers) to live stream, and we’re seeing more streams of sports games, band recitals, graduations and other events than ever before. But many schools are still hesitant to incorporate live streaming into their routines. Whether it’s budgeting, lack of broadcast programs or even the idea that no one will tune in, there are legitimate reasons for schools to not provide live coverage of events.

But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start. In fact, now that live video achieves much higher quality with more reliability, it’s a great time to propose a live streaming program to your school. Tom White, instructor of Digital Media at Morgan County High School in Georgia, just moved in from another county and immediately began to implement streaming into dozens of activities. He shares his story on why he streams for his high school:

Why We Stream

“The video production here only started last year in August when I began working at Morgan County High School. Prior to being here, I was taught at a career academy serving 3 high schools, and we streamed every single football, basketball, baseball, and soccer game in that region for a couple of years. One year we did over 1,000 streams. Now I lead this school’s new Digital Media class. It’s a class that has 2 sides, both of which are taught by me: the TV Production side and the Animation side.”

“Live streaming allows our students, our school and our county to go outside of the building. It takes Morgan County High School to the world stage and gives our students the recognition that they deserve. It means that parents and families who can’t attend can now tune in and see these kids succeed. Our boys basketball team just won the state title last month, and we were there streaming literally as they won and giving a behind-the-scenes look at the locker room excitement after the game. We want to be recognized by schools all around the world, and this is one of the best ways to do it.”

Challenges 1: Personnel

“When I was at my previous county, we actually had classes dedicated to sports production. It was through that program that I developed a relationship with a lot of students from the University of Georgia where we get a lot of our broadcast volunteers now for the high school’s live streams. Their students have helped tremendously with getting us cool graphics, talent and camera operators for our sports events. But we’re not limited to streaming sports - we do choir recitals, band concerts, parades; we take any opportunity to get our kids broadcasting in the field.”

“Live streaming from these events is completely volunteer-based though, so one of the challenges is making sure you have enough people. Sometimes I end up being a 1-man show handling both the cameras and the play-by-play. The number of personnel you’ll have with you is always going to be different, so being flexible with scheduling and roles is a must.”

Challenge #2: Internet

“The other challenge is getting a solid internet connection. If the games are at our school, it’s not a problem because I know exactly what our setup looks like. But when we go on the road, it’s a whole different scenario. I don’t know what kind of internet the host school has, their IT people, or their security situation. They might have firewalls that I can’t bypass, or be in a remote area with zero connectivity.”

“The boys basketball championship game was held at the Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia, which is the worst venue in the world for getting cell signal. You typically have enough signal to open social media or attempt to send a text but never enough to complete the deal. The funny thing about that game was that we were playing against a rival school in our region, and I’m great friends with their video teacher. While we were in the Coliseum, we weren’t able to connect via text at all. We were literally just on opposite sides of the court.”

VidiU Go at the Championship Game

“But despite the bad connectivity in there, we went live 4 times and garnered over 5,000 impressions/views. The secret was using our live streaming device: the VidiU Go. For this game, I had it connected to our camera and roaming around to cover the game off the court (NFHS.org had exclusives to the game coverage). This was Georgia’s state championship final and the last game for 3 of our seniors who are very endeared to the community. Everyone here loves them. This game was their last hurrah and we wanted to capture every moment of it.”

“None of this would’ve been possible without the VidiU Go. We were broadcasting in 720p 60FPS the entire time we were live for the game. We used the VidiU Go’s bonding feature to combine two 4G connections, which allowed us to get signal even inside the Coliseum when my phone couldn’t. When our team won, I had the camera streaming our team on Facebook as they came off the court for the last time. They were so happy, you could see the tears. Later that night, I went into the locker room to stream the post-game excitement in there. Even under how many layers of concrete, we were able to take our viewers backstage and give them access to the team that no one ever expects.”

The Only Way to Stream From Anywhere

“Having VidiU Go means we can basically stream high quality video no matter where these events are. Last month, we were at a baseball game at Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Georgia, and when we got there, we realized there wasn’t a space for us to set up. But it was super important for us to broadcast this game because it was 1 of the final 2 games in the regional championship series. So we decided to set up our station between the bleachers and the backstop.”

“When you go on the road, you never know what you’ll encounter, especially in playoff games that take you to places that you’ve probably never been to before. We might travel 3 hours just to play against a team where their baseball field is just the middle of a giant field. Getting Ethernet or WiFi out there is impossible. For us, the only way to accomplish this is with the VidiU Go. Bonding 4G internet at remote locations is so essential for streaming events that are outside of our control. With this, we can represent our school by going live from wherever we are.”

“Streaming has so much power to build morale around your entire community. If you’re trying to build a positive image around your school, what better way to show the world how great your school is than by live streaming it? We did a news cast where our agricultural and engineering departments came together to design a wheelchair for a lamb with bad hips. We live streamed the town parade where our basketball team celebrated bringing back the state title. These videos live on the internet so anyone who searches your school knows what you do. Live streaming is the future of education. Take your school to the world stage.

“Technology and the film industry is always going to change - there’s no way around that. As an AC, it’s my job to make sure that I have the knowledge and skills needed going into my next job. You can’t always stick with what you know, because eventually you’ll fall behind as the industry moves on to do better things more efficiently.” - Tyler Hollman, 1st AC based in Grand Rapids, MI. (@foquista)

Anyone in the industry can tell you that even though film tech is constantly evolving, sometimes getting filmmakers to update older systems can be tough, especially on big productions. Honestly though, who can blame them? They know the tools are tried and true, and they don’t want to risk holding up the entire set just to be on the cutting edge of technology. When careers are on the line, everyone is risk-averse.

But amazing new film tech is being developed every year in this industry. Cameras now shoot in 8K, monitoring is completely cable-free, and many tools that we used to have hardware for can now be done from the convenience of our smartphones. It’s not just the camera department either. Lighting, production design, hair & makeup - tech is making its way into every gap and making our films better than ever before. We have the pioneers to thank for that.

Keeping up with tech is important, especially for filmmakers who work closely with the camera package. Tyler Hollman, a 1st AC based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, shares the gear he takes to every set and his tip on keeping up with the latest and greatest.

Finding My Passion

“When I went into film school, I honestly didn’t know much about the different roles on set. I always thought I’d wanted to become a cinematographer because they’re the camera guys and that’s what making movies is, right? Well, it didn’t take long before I learned that a film set is much more than just the cameras. We have different teams doing different roles, and the one that appealed to me most was the one building the camera: 1st AC.”

“I was more interested in thinking about the day and not the entire project. What we’re going to need for this specific day of shooting, what we need to prepare for, what lenses we’ll need, monitors, etc. I wanted to be doing the camera builds, changing lenses, and pulling focus. Even though my school Compass College of Cinematic Arts had one of the first RED ONEs (our school was pretty much built around having that camera), my interest was finding ways to support the cinematographers. It’s certainly not the conventional route into filmmaking, but it’s such a collaborative industry that you can make a career out of focusing on any department. I found my role and made a career out of it.”

What’s In Tyler Hollman’s Kit?

“Here in Grand Rapids, we don’t have Panivision, Keslow, or any of the big rental houses here. It’s also mostly commercial productions for companies in the city. So a lot of the tech we use on set are products that I own. I have to be very strategic in what I choose to invest in. Here are the main tools I bring to almost every set:”

SmallHD FOCUS 7 Bolt RX - As a 1st AC, I’m always pulling focus. I need images that are sharp and that I can carry around wherever I am on set. When I had to choose between this and the 703 Bolt, I realized that the FOCUS was better for me in every way. Lightweight, cheaper, the same image quality as the 703, and has wireless video built-in. I have the FOCUS 7 Bolt and the FOCUS Sidekick.

Goal Zero Yeti 400 - Power is a big thing. This is a solar-powered, big brick battery that I use to run video village all day. It’s a situational piece of equipment. If we’re out filming in the field and the location we’re at has no way to charge batteries, I want to have a backup.

Media Blackout BreakerBatt - It’s a Sony battery with 2-pin LEMO ports so you can pass power to other devices that don’t have dedicated DC inputs.

Blackmagic SDI to HDMI Mini Converter - People on our jobs roll in with production vehicles that have TVs that don’t necessarily take SDI. I have a bunch of these converter boxes so we’re always prepared with the right inputs and outputs. At the end of the day, if it means getting a monitor for the clients, I’m happy.

Teradek RT CTRL.1 - I love the simplicity of the follow focus along with the new tech Teradek is bringing to focus pulling. Everyone in the industry is stuck on Prestons and ARRIs, but I think that tech is getting old. Not to mention that the MDRs from those systems are huge. So I went with the Teradek RT follow focus kit. The motors are super quiet, MDRs are tiny, and the controller is very user-friendly. It’s also integrated with SmallHD monitors, hence why I chose the FOCUS Bolt too. The CTRL.1 looks to be the future of follow focus.

Keeping Up With Tech

“Tech knowledge is part of the job now for everyone in the industry. 10% of the tools I own are actually used by me - the other 90% goes to the crew. When I hand them tools like handheld monitors, usually they already know how to use it, and if they don’t, it’ll show in their work. As an AC, it’s even more important that I’m familiar with the tech. I’m the one on set who everybody relies on for technical knowledge and I need to have answers for their questions. I sometimes travel to Detroit for bigger jobs (it’s a much bigger market than Grand Rapids), and if I arrive on set without knowing what’s going on, I’m going to get there on prep day and ask too many questions. It’s critical that I know what I’m doing because I never know what hand I’m being dealt. Any phone call can be the biggest job I’ve ever worked on.”

“Following the latest tech isn’t hard either, especially with how huge social media has been lately for filmmakers. If you follow some of the bigger Instagrams, you’ll know what I’m talking about. There are people like myself who get questions from people asking what hardware I use on my setups. When I make a post on a cool new piece of equipment, I’ll get questions on how I built it. When I see something interesting from other filmmakers like Joshua Cote or Brian Aichlmayr, I’ll ask questions too. It’s the best approach to learning about new tech you’ve never seen before, because these guys aren’t going to sell you something they don’t genuinely like. It’s the most authentic way to learn now.”

“We’re at a point in our careers where you’re expected to show up on set knowing exactly what to do so other people aren’t picking up your slack. If you have the knowledge of these new tools, and you bring these tools to your next production, your peers will see how knowledgeable you are and remember you for future jobs. That’s why we should all do our part and contribute to the knowledge of our community.”

Tyler Hollman is a 1st AC based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. See more of his work on his Instagram here.

In the traditional sense, broadcasting in the field meant having an OB truck to send video from the cameras in the field to the station before being distributed to TV networks. This made broadcasting expensive and reserved for sports groups that essentially had the capital to afford a truck and personnel. And there weren’t a lot of them - the PGA and Tour de France being some of the few. Other outdoor sports were in either controlled environments or never saw broadcasts.

But since the inception of live streaming, we’ve started to see more outdoor sports groups broadcast their tournaments to the world. While it’s not traditional TV or cable, social media has provided a platform for these niche sports to reach their fans in ways like never before. We’re seeing sports like rowing, disc golf, tag, and esports get recognition through online broadcasts. We can start adding surfing to the list.

2018 USA Surfing Championships at Lower Trestles, CA

Like many other sports, surfing is a naturally difficult activity to cover. Beaches are in relatively remote areas where broadcasting would normally be either impossible or require very expensive equipment to do. But Surfline, the world’s #1 resource for surf forecasts and weather, has found a different way. Here’s how they provide flawless video to their viewers:

A Swell Start

“Surfline was started over 30 years ago in Huntington Beach by our founder Sean Collins, who was an avid surfer and sailor. Back then, Surfline was actually a 976 hotline you could call and get the surf forecast, and they charged you per call. Remember that this was before the internet, so the only way you could really determine if the surf was good on a certain day was by either going to the beach yourself, or calling Surfline to get the detailed surf report. That went on until the fax came out. Subscribers would get a fax once or twice a week with the surf forecast and synopsis of the week. This got posted in a lot of surf shops and when I was a kid, I went to go see these.” - Marc Beaty, Senior Video Editor at Surfline.

Jack O'Neill Memorial Paddle-Out at Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, CA.

“When the Internet came around, it was the perfect match for Surfline to grow into. The company became an online subscription service. In 1999, Sean Collins decided to put up the first live surf cam for people to access online. Surfers could check swell and wind conditions, and use the live footage to see what the waves actually looked like that day. It wasn’t the greatest quality back then, but it was very ahead of its time. Fast forward to today and we have over 500 live surf cams all over the world. From our home in Southern California to Northern California, Hawaii, Australia, Portugal, Indonesia.”

Streaming From the Sand

“We really started streaming surfing action live in 2012 when there was a good hurricane swell in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. All of the best East Coast surfers were in town for the swell, and we had one of the 1st-generation Teradek Cubes there using a single LTE card that helped us stream successfully from the sand strip. From that point, we went on to stream from Pipeline in Hawaii to Lower Trestles in San Clemente [California].”

“Streaming comes with a lot of challenges in our sport. The first is that in many locations, there’s almost no internet where the competition is being held. The cell service is often really spotty, and if we dropped a connection, we’d lose half of our audience. There’s also a problem with congestion. If you have a big wave swell, you’ll have a lot of spectators. At Waimea on the North Shore of Oahu, there were over 1000 people out there with their cell phones using the same cell signals we were trying to stream from. It’s not enough to just have a single LTE connection anymore.”

Bringing the Bond

“The Bond Backpack is what really changed the game for what we do, and something we’re excited to bring to our upcoming events. We stream directly from the field during these contests, with multiple cameras and a switcher all set up on the sand. To help with the internet, we have the Bond taking in 2x Verizon, 1x AT&T and 1x T-Mobile SIMs that are loaded into the Nodes. We took the Bond Backpack to a broadcast at Waimea Bay last month, where we were sponsored by the Kona Brewing Company to capture surfers out on big waves. We were able to stream almost 3 hours of video without a single issue. We’re looking forward to having it on our upcoming events. There’s a good chance we’ll be streaming from the Rip Curl GromSearch Championships and the USA Surfing Championships, which is at Lower Trestles.”

“How much money would these broadcasts have cost just 10 years ago? You’d need to get a satellite connection, hire personnel, get the right permits and worry about your footprint. It’s amazing that now we can stream high quality video without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. Suddenly this is within our realm of possibility. And with the Bond, we can provide our fans with the quality surf broadcasts that they want to see. You guys are helping us bring content to enthusiasts around the world.”

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/why-every-reality-production-should-monitor-with-ipads-feat-graveyard-carz2019-04-17T17:27:00-07:002019-04-18T13:17:50-07:00Why Every Reality Production Should Monitor with iPads feat. Graveyard CarzAndy Cheng

“On our show, we get one chance at capturing the repairs we do, so we need everyone on our team - including the talent - to see the shot and work together. With the Serv Pro, we’re able to set up a situation where the talent can monitor the shot and help us know exactly where to point the camera. When you have a show to deliver and customers waiting to have their cars fixed, speed is critical.” - Matthew Pryor, Production Manager of Graveyard Carz.

Reality shows don’t have the luxury of doing multiple takes until the shot is achieved. In fact, on Graveyard Carz, the crew really only get a single take before they have to move on. The challenge though is that, with such a specific and niche industry, the people with the most expertise on set are the talents themselves - antique car repair techs that both fix the cars and tell the story behind them.

So to make sure the camera captures the right angles and moments, Matthew Pryor added two Serv Pros (paired with a Link) to his kit. The Serv Pros send video from both A and B cam to iPads and iPhones on set so his team can monitor without needing to be at video village. Check out their amazing story here:

1971 Phantom ‘Cuda

“Graveyard Carz began premiering in 2012 on the top-rated Velocity Channel by Discovery, which was eventually rebranded by Discovery and made into the MotorTrend channel. The show was conceived by the owner of this auto body shop, Mark Worman, and a client's son Aaron Smith. Together they also own the production company that makes this show called The Division Productions.”

“For 15 years before the show started, this shop was just a normal collision repair center. Then around 2008, Mark got a job to fully restore a 1971 Phantom ‘Cuda that was painted Hemi Orange. It’s a beautiful car and one of the most desirable Mopars in the world. His friends told him he couldn’t do it, so he decided to not just restore it, but film the whole process too. This eventually became the pilot episode of the show, which got picked up by the Velocity channel for 6 episodes.”

“We spend more time with our cars than other car shows do. Our viewers love that we take the time to explain the reason behind every repair in a way that sort of teaches people at home how to do it themselves. All of our methods are factory recommended and makes us that authentic resource that people can trust for Mopar restorations. Last year we were working with another 1971 ‘Cuda from a guy whose car was destroyed in his garage fire. This year, our main car is a 1970 Dodge Challenger RT. We tell an entire story behind each and every car we work on.”

Talents As Directors

“Our show is a lot more reality than many people think. We’re shooting a show on location in an auto shop using cars that belong to our customers. Compared to traditional TV shows or other reality shows, we don’t have the luxury of controlled sets, schedules and gear. And the biggest thing is: once we repair a part of a car, we can’t just go back and reshoot it. We get one take so we need tools that help us maximize our angles and save us time.”

“We have 2 primary camera operators for each shoot - one is for filming faces and one for the work being done on the car. Each camera has a Serv Pro on it and our director carries an iPad on him for monitoring close to the talent. We often turn the iPad around at our talent so they can see where our cameras are pointing. It helps tremendously with the stories we’re able to tell. For example, one of the most important things to classic car collectors is ‘matching numbers.’ This means that all of the parts that get installed on the car were originally on the factory build sheet in the 60s and 70s (think OEM). In a lot of these parts, these numbers can be really hard to find, but Mark knows where they are. Since the crew don’t know where they are, Mark uses the iPads and show us where to point the cameras. Even though he’s the talent for that scene, he’s helping us find the angles that we should be capturing from because those shots are what’s important to our viewers. We were never able to do this before we had the Serv Pros.”

“Speed is important to us too. All of the cars we work on have clients waiting for them, so we have to make sure we’re not spending an eternity to repair each car. We need to maximize the opportunities we have to get good coverage the first time without redoing shots multiple times. A lot of these shots are irreversible too. You can’t simply take a car part off after attaching it. With Serv Pro and VUER, our talents, who are the main experts of the show, help us pick out what’s important so we don’t miss those slim opportunities to get a good shot. They allow us to work smarter, not harder. In the end, they allow us to create a better show for Motor Trend and for the viewers at home.”

We’re back from another exciting show at NAB! This year, we announced our most incredible new line of products that aim to revolutionize the world of filmmaking and broadcast.

A special thanks to those who visited our booth. To those who couldn’t make it, don’t worry! Here’s a list of everything we showcased at NAB 2019:

Bolt 4K

The new Bolt 4K introduces the next generation of real-time wireless video for filmmakers, broadcasters and all professionals in the video world. Bolt 4K transmits uncompressed 2160P60 HDR video with less than 1ms of delay to receivers up to 1,500 ft. away. It sports 8x the performance of previous Bolt generations, meaning you’ll get significantly more robust signal and video so the transmission always rock solid.

Bolt 4K will be shipping June 2019.

CTRL.3

Our newest Teradek RT lens control line was a huge hit at the booth, especially the CTRL.3. The 3-axis controller comes with complete focus/iris/zoom control, a fluid focus knob, OLED display with limit buttons, and up to 5,000 ft. of wireless range.

What makes CTRL.3 special though is the software inside. It comes with integrated lens mapping and storage, which saves a tremendous amount of time during lens swaps and calibration in prep. But unlike most follow focus systems in the industry, CTRL.3 also includes critical follow focus information as overlays on SmallHD monitors. Any monitor running SmallHD’s Pagebuilder OS3 can display lens focal distance, focal length, iris, zoom and much more.

Also coming soon is the RT iOS App that’ll allow focus pullers to remotely manage their Teradek RT products via Bluetooth. More on that below.

CTRL.3 will be shipping May 2019.

MDR.X

Also integral to our new Teradek RT line is the MDR.X, an ultralight 3-channel smart receiver for focus/iris/zoom. At just 140g, it’s one of the lightest MDRs in the industry that support full FIZ control. The OLED displays motor information, battery percentage and more. It also has built-in RED DSMC2 camera control and Bluetooth for remote configuration via the RT iOS App.

MDR.X will be shipping May 2019.

MOTR.X

The new motors were released earlier this year, but are part of the new Teradek RT series along with CTRL.3 and MDR.X. MOTR.Xmotors are faster and more responsive compared to the MK3.1, and feature indicator lights for F, I or Z. They’re also daisy-chainable (shown above), minimizing cables and keeping your setups as clean as possible.

MOTR.X is available now.

Bolt 4K PTZ

In addition to the Bolt 4K system, we’re also introducing something designed specifically for PTZ cameras. The Bolt PTZ (the black base above) mounts underneath PTZ cameras and sends uncompressed 2160P60 video from the camera to the receiver. At the same time, operators can also send serial control commands through the Bolt PTZ receiver to the transmitter, while also watching the video feed through a monitor.

Bolt PTZ will be shipping June 2019.

VidiU Go - HDMI

Streaming high-quality video doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, VidiU Go HDMI is the most affordable HEVC-enabled live streaming encoder in the industry. Broadcast pristine 1080p60 video from virtually anywhere with built-in network bonding and save tons of data with next-generation HEVC compression.

VidiU Go HDMI is available now!

Core

Core is our cloud-based IP video management platform. Sounds confusing right? It’s actually quite simple. It’s not enough to simply do a raw live stream anymore - today’s broadcasters need more from their content. That’s why we developed Core, which offers features that take streams to the next level.

The new CINE 7 by SmallHD is a 7-inch daylight viewable monitor that comes with a built-in Bolt 500 TX, Bolt 500 RX, Bolt Sidekick or no Bolt. What's unique about the CINE 7 is its integrated ARRI camera control feature, which means you don't have to fiddle with ARRI's default menu interface. They also support the DCI P3 color standard, making it the most vivid and detailed 7-inch monitor in the world.

We want to elevate the entire experience of using Teradek gear, and that starts with simplifying the work filmmakers do on set. The new Bolt App allows Bolt owners with iPhones to manage every parameter of their Bolt 4K (and future Bolts) from the convenience of their smartphones. Do everything from TX/RX pairing to using Bolt 4K’s spectrum analyzer without needing to use the Bolt’s on-unit buttons.

We know a lot of filmmakers are using older Teradek RT and RT Motion follow focus sets, and we want to get you all on the latest technology. The RT Upgrade Program allows you to trade-in your old devices for credits towards the new Teradek RT line.

See if your device is compatible and learn more about the RT Upgrade Program here.

Check out this video made by WaveFX introducing the Link Pro. Jamie Huckle, webcasting technician at WaveFX, takes the Link Pro to a remote location in Britain to test the limits of network redundancy.

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/what-is-4k-and-uhd-and-what-do-they-mean-for-filmmakers2019-03-14T02:47:00-07:002019-04-17T09:58:45-07:00What Are 4K and UHD? And What Do They Mean for Filmmakers?Andy Cheng

You’ve probably seen a lot of “4K” and “UHD” being thrown around this year, which makes sense considering it’s been touted as the next frontier of video following 1080 and 1440. Most current TVs now support UHD 4K video, as well as OTT services (Roku 4K, Nvidia Shield, Chromecast Ultra, etc.), Netflix, Amazon, Blu-Ray players, and even some laptops. Pretty soon, all of our smartphones and tablets will support 4K. As the world inches closer to 4K, it’s time we really understood what these terms really mean.

There are some common misconceptions about things like 4K and UHD (Ultra High Definition), the biggest being that the two are synonymous with each other. Not the case. 4K resolution is actually just one facet of UHD. What else is part of UHD? Wide color gamut (WCG), high dynamic range (HDR), 4:2:2, 10-bit color, and more. If you’re just learning about these, here’s our rundown of the parts that make up UHD.

Ultra High Definition

The term UHD is derived full HD, the standard we currently use for our video playback technologies. UHD, by itself, doesn’t actually define a specific video resolution or color, but is a combination of technologies that make up what we know as UHD. The terms 4K and UHD have been used pretty interchangeably, and we can thank the TV industry for the confusion. But think of UHD like a film. It’s a combination of cameras, lighting, talent, and scripts that make the film what it is.

4K Resolution

Simply put, 4K is 3840x2160 resolution, where the 4K represents nearly 4000 pixels across. This is four times the amount of pixels of the previous 1920x1080, which means a significant jump in the nuances and details in videos. You’ll also see this being mentioned as 2160p (like the current 1080p), but 4K rolls off the tongue so well that it’s pretty much here to stay.

You might be wondering, is the image quality going to be THAT much better in 4K than 1080? The short answer is yes, but that depends on your monitor. Obviously, the larger your screen, the more noticeable the difference. If you played a 1080 video on a large screen, there are parts that may be blotchy, especially sitting farther away. But with 4K, the image is much sharper and nuanced so that you can use a larger screen, sit further back and have an image that’s crystal-clear and natural. Basically, 4K is significantly better than 1080.

Wide Color Gamut

Most of our current video content (standard HD video) is created and distributed in the REC.709 color gamut. But with UHD comes the next generation of color gamuts, REC.2020, which offers an even larger spectrum of visible colors than REC.709. This means that monitors that support REC.2020 will reproduce colors more vividly, so much as to cover 75.8% of the CIE 1931 color space (aka the mathematical limit of human vision for seeing color). But don’t assume all UHD content will be delivered in the REC.2020 format. Videos have to be specifically graded for REC.2020, and if they’re not, you can assume that they’re delivered in REC.709.

HDR

HDR (high dynamic range) is a technique that comes from photography that heightens an image’s dynamic range, which is the contrast between the darkest blacks and brightest whites. What this means for video is that HDR allows your monitor to display finer increments of shading, which allows things like reflections to be much more detailed and accurate. Colors can be richer and realer. The gist of it is, the higher the dynamic range, the more lifelike things look. And with monitor screens having higher nits of brightness than ever before, HDR stands to really make things pop in UHD content.

10-Bit Color

Bit depth represents the number of possible color combinations in a video signal. In recent history, most devices have captured and distributed content in 8-bit, which equates to 256 shades of red, green and blue. What 10-bit brings to the table is 1024 shades of red, green and blue.

16 million sounds like plenty, but a billion color combinations really give the image a greater feeling of reality.

Chroma Subsampling

We don’t need to capture the color in every single pixel simply because our naked eyes can’t usually tell the difference anyway. So to save bandwidth, our current technology tosses out color values of every other pixel and still produces the colors we all know and love in our 1080 videos. This is represented by numbers like these: 4:2:2, 4:2:0, 4:4:4, etc.

Pretend we’re looking at a 4x4 matrix of pixels in an image. Each little block here represents a pixel with 3 values: Y (black), Cb (blue), and Cr (red). As you can see, each row has 4 values of Y, 2 values of Cb, and 2 values of Cr. This constitutes a 4:2:2 color, where about ⅓ of the colors have been omitted. Our devices take neighboring pixel colors and “guess” the missing color values in.

The above is a 4:4:4 color space, which is considered the best color standard at the moment. In a 4:4:4, every bit of color is retained. When it comes to 4K, it makes sense to pack in all of the original pixel colors because the number of pixels are jumping 4 times from 1080. If our devices were still guessing color values on a 4K video, the color inaccuracies would be much more noticeable and less real.

What Does 4K Mean for Filmmakers?

Now that we’ve established that 4K is just a facet of the UHD umbrella, we want to know how 4K is going to benefit filmmakers. As any cinematographer will attest to, filmmakers have been working with 4K, 6K and even 8K for years, downsampling to resolutions that are supported by playback devices. Shooting in immense resolutions guarantees that a downsampled 4K or 1080 video looks flawless, and offers more freedom in production and post.

So filming in 4K is nothing new. But getting to monitor a 4K image can be a game changer, especially for crews like ACs and DITs. At four times the resolution of current monitors, 4K will offer much more information than ever before, allowing ACs to pull critical focus more accurately and notice even minor changes in focal distance. On a 1080 monitor, you don’t get a proper representation of the sharpness of the image. 4K will enhance this significantly.

Some DITs out there already have a 4K compatible monitor on their cart, which is mostly for their personal monitoring. With 4K monitoring, DITs work with directors and ACs to monitor closer to the final image of the film, which is also offloaded by him to the lab for post. DITs could also distribute 4K feeds all throughout sets.

Then, of course, there is general monitoring by people like the DP and director. Since they’re in charge of the looks, it’s critical that they see the footage in the truest possible way. The closer to the representation of the final version (resolution & colors), the more it helps them creatively in strategizing their shots.

This isn’t to say that 4K monitoring is something novel, but in the current ecosystem, 4K monitoring on set is few and far between. That’s because 4K monitoring systems for productions are simply inefficient and expensive. To upgrade a standard film set to 4K monitoring would be immense, and there just isn’t a way to justify the cost. Not to mention the amount of cabling that would be required to get this done effectively.

4K monitoring will see mass adoption on film sets if it can be achieved efficiently and cost effectively. This will require a massive push towards more utility, more flexibility and lower cost. There’s one compelling way to make 4K monitoring more efficient on set: wireless. Going wireless eliminates all of the cables needed to deliver 4K video to receivers, which will be essential for all shoots from studios to outdoors.

Will we see these kinds of developments soon? The benefits are very clear, but the technology must catch up if we are to make these feasible for filmmakers. But it’s worth keeping an eye out, because much like a new generation of smartphones, 4K wireless monitoring aims to transform the filmmaking world.

“I think we’ve gotten to a point now with wireless systems, especially the Teradek CTRL.1, where they are reliable enough that for the sake of my and my AC’s sanity I would never go tethered again.” - Graham Sheldon, Director of Photography

If you’re reading this blog, there’s a really good chance you grew up knowing (or playing!) the iconic fighting game Mortal Kombat. How do we know that? Because most of our readers are within the 25-40 age range, and we’ll never forget the amazing video games we had in our childhoods. Now we’re in the workforce and we don’t have as much time to game anymore, but let’s be honest, we’d bust out our old Nintendo systems in a heartbeat if we had the chance!

Mortal Kombat lives on in Mortal Kombat 11. The game comes to consoles this April, and to build up hype around its release, the YouTube channel Because Science created a 6-episode series that goes into the brutal takedowns behind our favorite fatalities. (For those that aren’t familiar with fatalities, Google at your own discretion!). Graham Sheldon, DP on the show, shares how his crew utilized wireless follow focus to stay sharp.

Pop Culture Meets Science

“The series was a collaboration between Legendary Digital Networks and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Legendary owns a company you might have heard of before called Nerdist, which runs the YouTube channel Because Science. Warner Brothers worked with NetherRealm Studios to publish Mortal Kombat 11. The show Because Science is hosted by Kyle Hill, who goes in-depth on a bunch of different pop culture topics like How Captain Marvel Survives in Space or How Deadly Are Gambit’s Exploding Cards? How Heavy is Thor’s Hammer? You know, the cool pop culture stuff we all grew up with, but explaining the crazy parts with science.”

“I’ve worked with Legendary Digital Networks before a number of times with executive producers Johnny Wickham and Jason Corey. I produced and DP’d on a short called Far Cry 5 Training - Escape from Hope County for Nerdist which got over a million views on YouTube. They reached out to me to produce and direct this series covering the science of Mortal Kombat. I was fortunate enough that they also trusted me to DP it. The concept for the series was, can any of the classic Mortal Kombat moves be transferred to the real world? Could you shatter someone’s skull with a punch if it was frozen? Allen Pan from the YouTube channel Sufficiently Advanced came in to build the experiments and Kyle Hill wrote and hosted the show.”

Getting the Shots

“We had a bunch of different scenes with shots ranging from talking heads to fast action with different stunt actors. We had 2 REDs for this shoot: our A Cam a RED Helium and B Cam a RED Gemini, both with SIGMA Cine Prime lenses. We had a Bolt 500 DSMC2 module on the Helium, which connected to the back of the camera and gave us power and video without needing any cables. The Gemini had a regular Bolt 500 LT. We shot all of the void parts (the black area) first, and the last shoot days were at the Korean Friendship Bell where we did the stunts and captured those X-ray bone-shattering punches that you see in the game and in the series intro segments.”

“A pivotal part of our kit was the Teradek RT follow focus gear. My 1st AC Michael Cardenas used a CTRL.1 with lens mapping to pull focus for our action scenes. This connects to the Latitude Sidekick MDR we had, which is the receiver module that connects straight to the side of the RED camera. Michael used the CTRL.1 to pull focus remotely, which was especially critical during the fast action moments.”

The Science Is In

“The Teradek RT gear is super lightweight and responsive, and the Latitude Sidekick locks straight onto the RED camera which is huge for keeping our camera builds clean. CTRL.1’s lens mapping is great because you spend less time calibrating lens rings in the middle of a shoot day. We took care of it in prep and never worried about it again. Considering the way I operate the camera to follow our stunt performers, the Teradek RT system was perfect.”

“Wireless is important when it comes to moving quickly. I had a SmallHD 1703 P3X monitor in video village for checking color, and the monitor showed both Bolt wireless feeds in dual mode. It meant we didn’t have to run BNC cables across the soundstage, which made everything cleaner, safer and faster. Three episodes are out now on the Because Science channel on YouTube along with behind-the-scenes videos of the science and cinematography.”

See more of Graham Sheldon’s work at:Instagram: @grahamtesheldon]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/this-monitor-was-a-game-changer-for-us-in-iceland-feat-dp-anthony-littlechild2019-03-13T15:44:00-07:002019-03-14T22:20:50-07:00This Monitor Was A Game Changer For Us In Iceland feat. DP Anthony LittlechildAndy Cheng

Filming on the road is a tricky endeavor. You don’t have access to extra camera gear like you do in a studio, your crews are much smaller, and you have very limited space. You can bring nothing but the most essential pieces of your camera package, so you better choose wisely. Combine low budgets and freezing temperatures and you have a mountain of challenges for filming a new travel documentary across Iceland.

Monitoring on the road is especially difficult considering how bulky, heavy and expensive your favorite monitors are. Anthony Littlechild, cinematographer, was on the road with his crew for 14 days with everything packed in a single truck. He shares how they captured the most amazing shots with just a small team of 4 people and a monitoring solution that allowed everyone to see the shot.

A New Documentary

“I was DP for a travel show last year called Photo Number 6 (@photonumber6) where we traveled around the world doing a 12-episode series of 12 different countries. The tour guide in Iceland was a photographer called Mark Andreas Jones, who’s been leading photography tours in Iceland for over 10 years now. He knows this country like the back of his hand, and after doing Photo Number 6, he wanted to do a photography documentary which included hidden spots in Iceland that only the locals knew. So this documentary was completely funded by him.” - Anthony Littlechild, Director of Photography.

“The plan was a 14-day trip in an anti-clockwise route around the entire country following the weather going to very secluded locations. We landed in Reykjavik, prepped and went to crazy locations like the Godafoss Waterfall, Vestrahorn, Lindafoss, and of course the must-see location Jökulsárlon Iceberg Beach. We had just 4 people in our crew all shoved into a single Toyota Hilux, which we kept all of our gear in too. Mark Jones, the host and tour guide who made this project happen. Stig Wemyss was the director. John Servedio was our audio guy. And Dillon Pierce on B-Cam and AC. Shooting on the road - you don’t have the luxury of large crews and lots of gear. So we wore multiple hats and made do with what we were able to bring.”

Our Gear for the Road

“We did a 2-camera setup using an ARRI Amira Premium and Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro, and occasionally we’d have a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K on our DJI Ronin S, but it was mostly shot on the Amira and Ursa. Since I came to Iceland last year, I knew the snow and sunlight would make monitoring a pain in the ass, so we went with a SmallHD 5” Focus OLED mounted to the Amira that had enough brightness to see without a sun hood.”

“Our secret weapon for this was 2 Serv Pros - one on each camera. The director Stig was monitoring on an iPad Mini and our audio guy John connected his iPhone to it. Since an iPad is so small and light, Stig was able to be completely mobile while monitoring all the shots. For audio though, this was even better. There’s nothing worse than having the boom in shot, and usually he’d have to ask the camera operator for that info. Since the Serv Pros put the video on his iPhone, he just kept his phone strapped to him and kept the boom out of the shot at all times.”

Monitoring On Our Own Devices

“When you’re on a traveling shoot like this, there’s not really the time and space for big heavy equipment. I couldn’t just bring a 19” or 20” video village monitor because we’d not only need a ton of space, it would take too long to set up. And in Iceland, the weather can change very suddenly so time is precious. Serv Pros were the best way to do this. The iPad fit in the camera case so we didn’t need to lug big monitors around, and everyone already had their own iPhones so they could tune in at any time.”

“If we didn’t have the Serv Pros, we’d have to bring two different wireless video systems and monitors for the team. But thanks to iPad monitoring, we saved a ton of time on every location and shot in beautiful locations the world has rarely seen before.”

Check out more of Anthony Littlechild’s work at:Instagram: @anthonylittlechild]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/faq-telna-sims-12019-03-07T14:59:00-08:002019-03-22T11:12:47-07:00FAQ: Telna SIMsAndy Cheng

What are Telna SIM cards?

Telna SIM cards provide high-speed, multi-carrier 4G LTE coverage with simple pay-as-you-go pricing and automatic network switching so you always have the best connection at any location.

What devices are compatible with Telna SIMs?

Any device that supports SIM cards is compatible with Telna SIMs. This includes mobile phones, tablets, and USB modems.

For Teradek, this includes Node and VidiU Node modems. Nodes are compatible with:

Bond

Link

Link Pro

Cube

VidiU Pro

VidiU Go

How do I activate my Telna SIM?

Once you receive the SIM card, contact Telna Support at +1 (888) 310-6791 and follow the on-boarding instructions to get started.

After the initial setup, future payments and SIM settings can all be configured through the Teradek/Telna web portal.

Which regions are supported?

Currently, Telna SIMs can only be used in North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico). Regions in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa are coming soon.

Which carriers do Telna SIMs use?

USA

AT&T

T-Mobile

Canada

Rogers

Telus

Bell

How do the SIMs know which carrier to connect to?

Devices with Telna SIMs will automatically connect to the carrier with stronger reception in the area you’re in. Alternatively, Telna SIMs can be configured to only connect to a specific carrier. Call Telna Support +1 (888) 310-6791 to enable this feature.

Telna charges for data on a pay-as-you-go structure, allowing you to only pay for the data you need. Prices in North America are as follows:

U.S: $10/GB

Canada: $15/GB

There are no monthly recurring fees.

If I travel outside of my country, will I need new SIMs?

There are currently two types of Telna SIMs: North America and Global. If you’re planning to travel outside of North America (U.S.A, Canada & Mexico) or into North America, make sure you have the appropriate SIM.

If I travel outside of my country, do I need to purchase data in my destination region?

No, data is calculated by the credit in your account. If you have $100 of credit in your account, you’ll be charged the rate of the region you’re in, which is automatically deducted. You can travel to any region without having to purchase new data.

Does the data expire?

Data expires after 6 months. Expiration date renews every time more data is purchased.

Where can I purchase Telna SIMs?

SIMs can be purchased a la carte on the Teradek web store for $10 per piece. SIMs are also included in VidiU Go Deluxe Kit, Bond Backpack and Link Pro Backpack.

Live streaming has come a long way since its inception, and it’s only getting bigger thanks to new tools and strategies the industry has developed in the past several years. From pristine video quality to multi-platform delivery to cloud-based systems, we can now get more eyes on our streams than ever before. And when your clients are relying on you to achieve successful live streams, you want as many advantages as you can get.

Last month, we conducted a global survey that reached over 750 live streaming professionals from all over the world. With these statistics, let’s take a look at the strategies that result in significantly more viewers on the stream, and how you can use these strategies to your benefit.

1. Multi-Destination Streaming

Figure 1

Many streaming platforms (including our Core platform) now allow you to send your single video stream to multiple live destinations at the same time. This means multiple Facebook Pages/Groups, YouTube channels, Twitch channels, and as many destinations as you want. Why is this beneficial? Because viewers all have their preferred video platform. Instead of waiting for them to come to you, you can stream directly to them.

Figure 1 shows results of respondents who stream to just 1 destination. 32.7% (the highest percentile of the group) average less than 50 viewers per stream, with just 27.8% getting 50-100.

Figure 2

Compare that with Figure 2, which shows respondents who stream to 2 destinations. 31.4% achieve over 300 viewers, whereas only 15.7% have less than 50.

Figure 3

It gets better. At 3 destinations, 44.5% average over 300 viewers per stream, and only 10.9% get less than 50. Streaming to more platforms results in more people seeing the stream.

2. Use Multiple Cameras

Having multiple cameras allows you to offer different angles to viewers, which has a significant impact on how many viewers you get. The average human attention span is only about 8 seconds long, so you wouldn’t expect viewers to watch your stream if you’re just providing a single angle.

Figure 4

When it comes to cameras, 42.4% of respondents stream with 3 cameras or more (Figure 4). Of those respondents, 30.5% achieve 100-300 viewers per stream. 28.8% achieve over 300 viewers.

The numbers for a single camera are much lower. Only 9.9% achieved over 300 viewers, with 18.6% achieving over 300 viewers. In this category, 47.2% of single camera streamers get less than 50 views.

Clearly, we see a direct correlation between the number of cameras and the number of viewers. The more cameras you have, the more viewers you’ll get.

3. Switchers Make a Huge Difference

Figure 7

With a switcher, you can roll graphics and transitions to keep the video exciting and encourage viewers to stay tuned into the stream. Figure 7 shows the results of those who stream with switchers. Of those respondents, 33.6% achieve an average of over 300 views per stream, while 25.9% achieve 100-300.

Figure 8

Figure 8 shows the results of streamers without a switcher. 40% of those receive less than 50 viewers, with only 15.1% getting 100-300.

4. Pre-Broadcast Announcements

Unlike traditional TV broadcasts, live streams enjoy the luxury of not having to follow scheduled time slots. But even then, viewers need to know when to tune in to your broadcast.

Figure 9

Figure 9 shows the rates of streamers who announce their broadcasts via social media reminders. 32.9% get over 300 views per stream, with 24% getting 100-300.

Figure 10

Compare that with Figure 10, which are streamers who don’t make any announcements. 48.3% get less than 50 viewers, with 18.3% getting 100-300. Social media announcements are a great resource to alerting fans beforehand so they can work their own schedules around your stream. Also don’t rule out email blasts and regularly-scheduled programs. If a show is consistent (big Twitch streamers are notorious for this), people will tune in accordingly.

5. No More Dropped Streams

As live streamers, our content depends entirely on how strong our Internet connections are. But we’ve all had our fair share of dropped connections while we’re completely powerless to do anything about it. Clients and viewers don’t want to hear excuses, so even though you can’t control the reliability of the Internet, you can control the technology that you own.

Figure 11

Figure 11 shows the number of respondents who’ve experienced a dropped stream before. A resounding 83.1% of streamers have experienced the same issue. Clearly, it’s much more common than we think. So how do we prevent dropped streams from ever happening again?

The best way is to incorporate technology like 4G LTE network bonding, which is actually the feature most important to streamers interested in the VidiU Go (31.5%). Network bonding combines multiple internet sources into a single, robust connection so your stream has multiple backups to stay up. If one of your internet sources go down, it’ll have several other sources to fill in. This ensures that your live stream is able to stay up flawlessly throughout the entire shoot, whether you’re streaming in the field or in the studio.

“We used to have everything cabled when I first started working in film 8 years ago. But when you’re loading vehicles, pulling focus, packing monitors and wearing multiple hats on set, cables just get too time consuming. Given the scope of the projects we have here, having tech that’s easy to use and adds convenience changes everything.” - Tyler Hollman, 1st AC based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Today’s shoots have tighter schedules and higher standards for quality than ever before. When you’re on set, you want to waste no time getting the shots you need because clients and investors are waiting for your production. At the same time, you want to create something that both you and your clients are satisfied with.

Directors play a critical role in the pace of every shoot, but several things can really slow down their work. Crowding in video village is one of them. When budgets are small and there’s only 1 or 2 monitors on set, video village gets packed tighter than a Spirit Airlines flight. But departments need to monitor to do their jobs better, so everyone shares the limited monitor space.

Tyler Hollman, a freelance 1st AC based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, decided to search for a solution that worked much better for his crew, and he found it in the Focus Bolt RX. A SmallHD & Teradek solution, Focus Bolt RX is a 5” monitor with a built-in Sidekick II (or Bolt 500 receiver) and hand grips. The lightweight integrated monitor allows crews to be completely mobile while seeing the shot.

He shares with us why the Focus Bolt changed the game for his director and crew:

Small Crews with Many Roles

“I was born and raised here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We don’t have the same kind of big city film jobs like they have in Los Angeles or New York. Most of our jobs are commercial work where local companies hire us to make branded content. Aside from filmmakers who sometimes come in from Chicago, we’re a very small community doing film work here. But we did have a time where our city produced a generation of extremely talented camera assistants. Joshua Cote - who you guys featured on your blog - started off as a 2nd AC here. He and I worked together on several projects before he made the big move. Quinton Rodriguez also started off here. He and I used to trade 1st and 2nd roles a lot.”

“Our productions here are all on the small side: small crews, budgets, clients. What that means is that, unlike in Hollywood where you can have one person for every single role and only focusing on his or her role, each crew here does the jobs of 2-3 people. I’m the 1st AC, 2nd AC, and VTR all in one. I’m swapping batteries, filters and lenses. I’m pulling focus and I’m in charge of all the equipment. I wanted something that could simplify everyone’s roles on set, which means I get to focus on my job of assisting the cinematographer that much better.”

Directors Want to Be Mobile

“We’ve had several shoots now where I was able to bring my 3 Focus Bolts and the CTRL.1 from Teradek RT. The first was a music video shoot with a local electro synth-pop band called Pink Sky with Director Phillip Carrel and DP Jeff Sukes. We were shooting on a single Alexa Mini with Lomo Round Front Anamorphic Primes and a Bolt 500 transmitter. I was pulling focus on the larger monitor in our video village, so I handed a Focus Bolt to the director and one to the art department.”

“Since this monitor is so small, the director was able to carry it around with him wherever he went. This was game changing because it completely changed the way he worked on these sets. Normally, we’d have people running around between takes like the director going back-and-forth from talents to monitors or art departments that restyle actors often. Phillip comes from a production design background, and since he started directing, he’s gotten used to being 20 feet away from the talent where 3-4 people are crowded around his monitor. I decided to give him one of the Focus Bolts so he can be free from the director’s chair. For the whole shoot, he just kept it on him 100% of the time and he never had to go back to our village. He was able to stay close to the set direct everything from there.”

“I also did a basketball shoot with DP Tyler Grimm for She Fit, which is a sports bra company based here in Grand Rapids. On this shoot I had the Focus Bolt and CTRL.1 linked together with a mount I created using Cine Locks, rosette clamps and arms. The lens mapping tool was life changing. We had to shoot a scene early in the day only to go back and shoot the same scene later in the day with talent using different products. So what I did was mapped the lens focal distance, saved it into the SmallHD, and go to shoot a completely different scene. When we came back hours later, I went back and used the same exact settings again. We were shooting the same shot with a different product, which we match cut with the shot from hours before.”

Simple for Every Department

“My goal was to find something that I could easily hand to department heads and have them understand it effortlessly, which the Focus Bolt was perfect for. It’s so light that anyone can carry it around without even noticing it, but still robust enough to have a huge impact on the flow of the shoot. The tech is easy enough to understand so they don’t have to bother me for questions. But the most important thing is that it makes us way more efficient on set. It helps us stay out of everyone’s way and we’re not all crowding around the same monitors. It allows us to do our jobs without having to think about the subtle parts that make shoots inconvenient. My crew’s jobs and my job are simpler because of them.”

Check out more of Tyler Hollman’s work on his Instagram:@tylerhollman@focus_station]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/what-we-learned-from-shooting-with-high-profile-talent-feat-dp-bjorn-amundsen2019-02-27T11:14:00-08:002019-02-27T18:49:51-08:00What We Learned From Shooting with High Profile Talent feat. DP Bjorn AmundsenAndy ChengDirector Blaine Hogan with 703 Bolt handheld monitor and LeBron James.

“It’s not the same as hiring talent where you can do take after take. With high-profile talent, you have to make sure your entire productions decisions are right from the beginning.” - Bjorn Amundsen, Cinematographer.

Most people dream all their lives of meeting world famous celebrities, but filmmakers aren’t most people. That’s not to say we don’t want to meet them. In fact, for some of us, working with high-profile talents is part of our jobs. And while your friends might be freaking out at how lucky you are to work with a certain celebrity, you know that these shoots aren’t all fun and games.

Bjorn Amundsen had the opportunity to shoot with 4 high-profile talent that you might have heard of: LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lindsey Vonn. He shares how this production was different from anything he’s shot before.

What We Shot

“A new nutrition company called Ladder hired Human Design to produce a series of videos announcing their new brand. Blaine Hogan (Director) called me up and said, ‘Hey, I’m writing this script for a company owned by LeBron & Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do you want to come DP?’ When I heard this, my first thought was that I was being pranked or something. But sure enough it was legit.”

“They wanted 8 different spots with 1 super-cut. Each of the celebrities was featured in a short video of them doing different activities. They wanted to highlight different aspects of the people who might use Ladder’s products: athletes, people interested in wellness, and people interested in being fit.”

Why This Shoot Was Different

“LeBron showed up an hour early to his shoot, and he only had 2 hours before he had to be somewhere else. Originally I was planning to use that extra hour of time to tweak set lighting, but since he got there early, we had to start right away. Luckily, we had gotten there extra early and had done a basic pre light before he arrived. It still caught us off guard though and we were playing catch-up with his schedule.”

“When we filmed Arnold, we had ideas of what he should do for his commercial. But then we found out he recently had heart surgery so he couldn’t do the exercises we planned for him. We had him doing curls, but we had to change it to bench presses. That changed the location, so we had to light the new location instead. In the end he did the curls, and we used the bench press shot for another video.”

“We had very limited amounts of time with each person - roughly 2 hours per talent. With such tight timelines, we had to work around their schedule. And they often had ideas when they got on set that we have to adapt to on-the-fly. So we really had to be flexible with our plans, but also quick on our feet to get all the shots we needed before their times were up. Every take counts.”

What to Take Away From This

“Having the right tools was super important for this. When you’re shooting with high-profile talents, you don’t get many chances for reshoots, and you definitely can’t waste time with gear that’s unreliable. We had a Bolt 500 on our Alexa Mini sending wireless video to several SmallHD 703 monitors for the crew and 1st AC, and a 703 Bolt that our director used around set. You have to have gear that’s reliable and flawless. If my focus puller is using some janky off-brand system, he’s not going to be able to keep things sharp. Don’t take chances - nail the shot every time.”

“What’s also important is being able to pivot your ideas at a moment’s notice. Our talent all had input on what they could and couldn’t do. Then the director might make sudden changes, which on the production side means changing everything about the setup. You need to be several steps ahead and make sure you have things waiting on standby.”

“You also have to work much faster than you’d probably like. In fact, one tip is to be rolling the entire time. The more time you’re rerolling between takes is more time spent not shooting. Another tip I found out is instead of saying ‘cut,’ you say ‘reset.’ Because when you say ‘cut,’ the talent thinks that we’re done with the take and can move on. Saying ‘reset’ allows them to stay in the moment a lot better and you’re wasting less time.”

Our friend at Lon.TV takes an in-depth look at the VidiU Go. From the benefits of Node modems to integration with the Core cloud platform, he offers an honest rundown of our newest live streaming encoder.

VidiU Go is the newest encoder in our line of VidiU products. If you’re currently using the VidiU Pro - or just on the fence about which device you need - and want to compare the two, we combined all of the differences and similarities into a rundown here:

Hardware Designs

Modems - when it comes to Internet sources in live streaming, more is better. VidiU Pro supports a single USB modem so you can stream in the field, while the VidiU Go supports two USB modems that can be bonded together so you can stream from anywhere with confidence. Combine with Teradek Node modems, which offer 2-3 times the performance of carrier-branded 4G LTE modems, to give your VidiU Go the network redundancy to stream flawless video wherever you are.

SIMs - since VidiU Go supports 2 USB modems, that means more opportunities to utilize our cutting-edge Telna SIMs. Telna SIMs are high-speed, multi-carrier 4G LTE SIM cards that operate under a single provider with a pay-as-you-go pricing plan. At just $10/GB, our SIMs offer an easy and affordable way to start streaming with your VidiU Go.

Charging - we wanted to make charging simpler and more flexible than ever before. That’s why the new VidiU Go charges via USB-C, which has a reversible connector and consumption-based powering (5V, 10V, and 15V). This also allows you to use any third-party USB-C cables and adapters so you’ll always have a way to power your unit.

Video Inputs - while the VidiU Pro only has an HDMI input, the VidiU Go supports both HDMI and 3G-SDI (as well as an HDMI-only version), which means you can connect it to any professional camera or switcher to stream. Whether you’re in the field or in the studio, VidiU Go works with every setup.

Navigation - time is critical in the broadcast world, and you don’t have time to fidget with menu controls when you’re streaming. VidiU Pro includes a joystick that helps to navigate through the menus, while VidiU Go includes smart buttons with arrow keys to make navigation and configuration a breeze.

Features

Video - studies show that the better the quality, the longer viewers will watch. VidiU Go was designed to handle the demands of today’s video world. While VidiU Pro’s 30FPS is the standard, 60FPS will give your viewers a much smoother viewing experience, especially for live streams with lots of movement.

Compression - HEVC is the newest compression standard that is twice as efficient as AVC compression. With VidiU Go, you can stream HEVC video to any platform and save up to 50% of the data it would cost to stream AVC, or bump up the quality a level while only using the same amount of data. This means it costs significantly less data to stream HD video wherever you are.

‘But I thought CDNs don’t support HEVC compression yet?’ You’re absolutely right. That’s why we provided a solution that lets you take advantage of HEVC immediately. Our cloud-based streaming platform, Core, can transcode HEVC to AVC. Stream HEVC video from VidiU Go to Core, transcode it in the cloud, and deliver AVC video to the platform of your choice.

Cloud - live streaming straight from the encoder is fine, but many professionals want to take their streams further. One of the biggest advantages of VidiU Go is its compatibility with Core, our cloud-based stream management platform. Core unlocks more features that take your streams to the next level, including:

4G LTE Bonding - whether you’re streaming for clients or for yourself, you don’t want to rely on a single Internet connection. That’s why both VidiU Go & Pro can bond multiple Internet sources into a single connection. With Core or Sharelink, every Internet source (4G LTE modems, Ethernet, and WiFi) in the VidiUs can be combined so if one connection has issues, the rest will fill in as backups.

Multiple Destinations - audiences have their platforms and pages of choice, so instead of getting them to come to you, you can go to them. Both Core and Sharelink allow you to deliver your stream to multiple live platforms simultaneously, all with the data of a single stream. Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, RTMPs, etc. Multiple the amount of viewers by streaming to as many as you or your clients want.

Remote Configuration - streaming in the field but want to configure your settings remotely? Through Core, you can adjust the parameters of your VidiU Go stream (resolution, bitrate, FPS, destinations, and more) from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Remote Monitoring - Core also allows you to watch your VidiU Go’s stream remotely so you can stay on top of the stream’s health at all times.

Cloud Archiving - many clients want copies of the stream after the event, and while VidiU Go offers an SD slot to save the stream locally, it’s even more reassuring to have a backup in the cloud too. Streams in Core can be accessed & downloaded at any time from anywhere, even through your Core iOS app.

10-Second Bootup - content can happen at any moment, and you don’t want to miss out the action. VidiU Go is ready to stream in under 10 seconds from the bootup, meaning you spend less time waiting and more time streaming.

]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/why-we-started-our-own-production-studio-feat-cbr-media2019-02-14T00:32:00-08:002019-02-14T10:07:44-08:00Why We Started Our Own Production Studio feat. CBR MediaAndy Cheng

Starting your own production house is exciting, ambitious, and super challenging. From finding the right space, to building a studio, hiring a talented production team, and finally finding a steady stream of clients. The challenge can be daunting. Sure, it can be done with a few people, and we see many production houses these days starting out with just one or two determined filmmakers, but a lot of work goes into growing the company into a profitable business.

Let’s say you’ve been doing really well and your production house has grown to a point where you need more space. Most businesses simply rent a bigger office. And when you’re hired for a job, you assemble a team and find a studio to shoot in.

For CBR Media, it made more sense to go a different route. Rent is astronomically high in the New York City area - where CBR Media is based - which means the cost of renting studios is correspondingly high. Rather than renting out studios for every shoot they were doing, they decided to build one of their own. Brennan Rowe, creative director & co-founder of CBR Media, shares with us why this made sense for their business.

The Right Kind of Jobs

“CBR Media was founded by my brother and myself in 2015. It was something we talked about during my time in college, while I pursued a business management degree at Saint Peter's University in Jersey City, NJ(2017). My brother, Christian, handles the tech and logistics side of our company, while I handle all of the creative side with the rest of our team. In just the last 3 years, we’ve grown from just the 2 of us to now having a team of 10 part and full-time employees.”

“Back in 2015, I was shooting a music video for Fetty Wap, who is a major Rap and Music Artist. I was constantly making connections, while working, which led me to meet two of Fettys friends, WorldWinn & Fuzz. I credit these 2 individuals for giving me a chance to step up and create their vision. There was a time between then and 6 months ago where we had not produced that “next level” work together due to tour and other conflictions. Fast forward to May 2018, Fetty was headed to Dubai for multiple performances and he called me the day he was leaving and told me he wanted me to be part of his trip and film his performances. Since this trip, my career in the production world has grown significantly. Between the music video and automotive industry, the connections we have made have allowed us to take our business to the next level. This was also around the time that Instagram really started taking off for businesses such as these to market themselves on social media. The exposure we received on social media through our work brought a significant increase in requests to produce social media content for other companies. In just in the last 3 years, we have shot over 150 cars with wheel companies, wrap shops and Global Brands BMW & MINI Cooper. Between CBR Media & CBR Studios, we were able to thrive as the need for social media advertising and promotion content expanded.

“During my rise through the music video world, I have been fortunate to be on-set, learning virtually every video/ production role. This provided me the ability to use the learned skills in our own productions. Through the Fetty Wap shoot, I was able to able to gain exposure to a much larger audience which led to collaborations with many other A-List artists. Some artists I have DP/Dir/Produced are Lil Baby, PnB Rock, MoneyBaggYo, Rick Ross, 2Chainz, Kodak Black, Albee Al, Shanna Kress, ItsYourGirlZ and SkinnyFromthe9.

Making Sense of the Cost

“With the types of projects we are involved with, we soon realized that a production a studio environment would be needed. The challenge of six people working in a 1,000 sq. ft. office space was both constraining and costly as we had to rent studio time. We realized we were spending close to $2500 a day for studio spaces in New York City. These costs were too high. It was time to scale up our operation . We decided to design our own 4,000 square foot studio in Woodland Park, New Jersey, creating CBR Studios!”

“Our state-of-the-art studio is approximately 20 minutes outside of New York City in Woodland Park, New Jersey. We wanted our studio to be affordable for filmmakers in the New York City area, so we chose a location outside the city, yet still convenient, to keep the expenses manageable. The space had to be large enough and accessible for vehicles as we do automotive shoots and some our artists utilize cars in their videos. We offer an entire production service, including providing equipment/lighting, booking models and cars, and producing videos from concept to finished product. We specialize in music videos, commercials and custom set building. We have a makeup and wardrobe room. We can handle productions from A-Z.”

“Since we opened the studio, we’ve been able to bring in much larger clients. We recently shot Skinnyfromthe9 featuring Fetty Wap, the Fetty Wap music video “Too Fast” at CBR Studios using a RED Weapon Helium 8K with Cine Sigma 18-35mm lens. We had our Bolt 500 streaming video to a SmallHD 1703 in video village for the crew to monitor. As we attract larger clients and well known brands to our studio, we also get the opportunity to network and attract leads for our CBR Media Division. While we are more known for our video production services, many clients are not aware of the services we offer through CBR Media."

"As we move forward, gaining more clients and exposure, we are evaluating expanding additional studio space in the area, as well as expanding to Florida next and then Los Angeles.”

Check out more of CBR Media:

Instagram: @cbrmedia@cbrstudiosWebsite: https://cbr.media/]]>
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/how-i-built-my-film-career-around-skateboarding-feat-dp-chris-ray2019-02-13T08:56:00-08:002019-02-13T08:56:19-08:00How I Built My Film Career Around Skateboarding feat. DP Chris RayAndy Cheng

“Making skateboarding videos has always been my passion, and in many ways, my roots have extended to my filmmaking career now. I’m honored to have been able to make a career out of producing skateboard films because the industry is small. I realize that not everyone that had that dream was so lucky. I’m thankful I’m able to make a living doing what I love and that so many people get to enjoy watching.” - Chris Ray, Video Director of DC Shoes.

When it comes to filmmaking, Chris Ray is as down-to-earth as it gets. Growing up on a skateboard, Chris decided to pick up a camera and start making skate videos with his friends just like the ones he grew up watching. They weren’t cinematic in any way, but it was the beginning of what would become Chris’ future career working on projects for companies such as DC Shoes, GoPro, NFL Films, ESPN, TransWorld and many more. All while staying true to the fundamentals that skateboard videography has taught him.

Many filmmakers today come from skateboarding backgrounds, and while most have branched out into different avenues of film, Chris has made skateboarding videos a permanent part of his work. These are five of the projects he has worked on that have helped him branch out as a filmmaker.

From Homemade Videos

“I started skateboarding when I was in 5th grade and in 7th grade I picked up a camera and said ‘We’re going to start making skateboarding videos.’ After we filmed a few videos, I became obsessed with making these videos. From filming to editing, I did it all. At that time my focus and passion was for filming skateboarding, but I had no idea you could do it as a career. As a teenager, I saw filming as just a fun hobby between me and my buddies.”

“When I got out of high school I was still filming skate videos but I realized that I wanted to do more. I really wanted to work with the pros so I made a spot book. I took a photo of every single skate spot in my city and sent it to a ton of skate companies such as Emerica, Girl/Lakai, and Flip just to name a few. And it worked! Nobody had done something like this before so it helped me meet with a lot of pros and connect with the filmers already working in the industry. This is how I got my foot in the door.”

“One of the filmmakers I met out there was Ty Evans, which was a big moment in my career. He hired me to work for him on Fully Flared, which was one of the most highly-anticipated skate films ever made. I didn’t have much experience back then and Ty basically taught me everything I know about professional filmmaking. This was back in 2005 or 2006. I’ll always be thankful for him giving me my first shot. We still work together to this day.”

“After the release of Fully Flared in 2007, I got an offer from TransWorld to go work for them. They’re a media company that focuses on skateboarding and snowboarding. This was basically a dream come true for me because it’s a publication that I idolized growing up. Transworld always had amazing list of cinematographers and it was an honor to be added to that list with people like Greg Hunt, Jon Holland, and Jason Hernandez. I stayed there for four years and we produced four full-length feature films among other things. I worked with a few a DC riders while being there, which helped me land my current job as a Films Director for DC Shoes. It’s been amazing to work with the crew that we’ve built at DC.”

Staying True to the Roots

“Working for DC full time is all about making branded content. We have a huge following across all of our social media, which we spend a lot of time making product videos and campaign videos for. We do skateboarding, snow, lifestyle, and anything on the athletic side. I recently directed a branded piece called Yours For the Taking, a 5-day shoot in New York for our new Tribeka line of shoes. It wasn’t a full skate piece, but it had many of the elements that the shooting style you see in skateboarding films.”

“Skateboard filmmaking is a very interesting thing. It’s got no rules, yet so many rules. To capture the best shot you have to be reliable and experienced. At the same time, unlike big film sets or productions, skateboarding has no permits and no permissions.. It’s just you, your camera and the skaters. It’s very run and gun, location to location, focusing on shooting no matter the circumstance. And that’s kind of how we shot these commercials. We go out in the streets sometimes in the middle of the night and do what it takes to get it done. No big production gear or catering or fancy film sets.”

“Shooting skateboarding has helped me get experience and be more prepared for projects outside of skateboarding. I often tell myself that skateboarding is the hardest thing to film. So ready for anything that comes my way. I’m glad to have the opportunity to explore other areas of filmmaking.”

Pipe Dream

“A big project I worked on outside of skateboarding with DC was Pipe Dream. It was a film where Robbie Maddison rides a dirt bike on a wave in Tahiti. We went out to Tahiti for three weeks to capture Robbie riding the wave. We shot the whole thing on Red Epic cameras, and there were less than a dozen of us on the crew. It was a great experience and something I am lucky to have been a part of.”

“We had to always be ready for any situation because you can’t control the ocean. It helped that we were all skateboarding filmers - we were able to use that experience for this project. We were filming on boats and the cameras were shaking most of the time. But we got the shots and the whole video went viral.

Lynx Vulc

“Another thing DC gave me experience in is product brand videos. I’ve learned you need to focus the attention around the specific product your company is advertising. This shoot was centered on the new Lynx Vulc line of shoes and the video was part of the branding campaign.”

“We wanted to show all of the cool designs and looks of the different shoes. Since this video was about products and not tricks, we had to find a creative way to bring the viewer in and keep their attention. We had to measure the distance between the camera and the talent and make sure it was always consistent. The way we put the video together helped us tell a story instead of just showing the shoes.”

Nissan Juke

“Nissan approached DC Shoes wanting to make a video for their new Nissan Juke Nismo RS. Martin Fobes and I went out to Barcelona with a group of DC riders and we filmed them at spots lit up by the headlights of the Juke. This was a shoot where the production was more traditional. We had to use lights, incorporate the car, have a shot list, and tons of planning. All of us enjoyed the catering since we aren’t used to working on full sets like that. It was also nice working with a big name brand outside of skateboarding.”

Press Play

“I’m very fortunate to be working for DC. They allow me to do freelance projects on the side, and I’ve been able to work with companies like Netflix, Ford, JBL, Chrilleks and many more. I also still get to continue working on skate videos.”

“One of my most favorite video parts I’ve done recently is with Tiago Lemos for Thrasher - he is one of the best skateboarders in the world. We traveled to many different places to shoot this, such as Europe, California, the East Coast. Going back in the streets and filming at different skate spots reminds me of where I came from. You know, just like how we did it when we were kids.”

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/5-reasons-why-every-filmmaker-should-be-active-on-instagram2019-01-30T19:06:00-08:002019-01-31T09:56:22-08:005 Reasons Why Every Filmmaker Should Be Active on InstagramAndy Cheng

Instagram has changed the way people share content online, but no other industry has benefited from this change as much the creative industry. We’ve taken our personal and professional lives and put them on the stage for everyone to see. Nowadays, whether you enjoy it or not, Instagram is a huge part of our lives as creatives, and if you don’t have one, you might be making it much harder on yourself. Why not join in on the fun?

Before Instagram and social media, filmmaking was all about word-of-mouth. Aside from the most successful filmmakers out there, the lives of your everyday cinematographer or AC was nothing but a mystery. However, when Instagram came along, it changed everything. The social media platform gave everyone a chance to showcase their creative work, share upcoming projects, awesome camera builds, and removed the barriers that kept most filmmakers apart. Now, the community is more connected than ever before, and we couldn’t be happier.

But part of being a member of the community is being active on Instagram. This doesn’t mean having to post every single day like some of the tireless filmmakers out there. Simply logging on to browse and engage with others can help you stay involved with the community.

You might be asking, ‘what’s the purpose of this?’ Well, Instagram has become such an invaluable tool, there are plenty of reasons you should be active. Let’s take a look at just a few:

1. Build Your Personal Brand

Instagram is an extension of you as a creative. What you post represents what you want people to see in your filmmaking life, whether that’s the camera package you build, the gear you’re using on set, the finished video or just some BTS of you on a production. But regardless of what you post, Instagram has given us filmmakers a chance to showcase ourselves in a way that’s akin to branding. You post your work on a platform for everyone to see, and people can check out your work at any time.

Your feed is an opportunity to create a look and aesthetic that represents you in front of the professional community. People might check out your Instagram before working with you on set, or might even use your Instagram as a deciding factor to reach out for a collaboration. So put your best foot forward and get the content you want people to see on your Instagram.

2. Create a Digital Portfolio

Personal websites are the digital portfolios of old. These days, filmmakers (especially ones also on Instagram) exchange Instagrams before anything else. Sure, professionals still have personal websites with reels, but those are slowly being phased out in favor of the platform that other filmmaker is already on. It’s all conveniently in one location.

Instagram’s layout is perfect for personalizing into your own film portfolio. You can easily post new work as you finish them, space out your posts, create a consistent color scheme, and even design a layout that makes your profile stand out. And because your profile is publicly accessible, future collaborators and clients can check out your work whenever they want on a platform they’re familiar with.

3. Connect with Other Filmmakers

Networking is a big part of filmmaking, and that won’t change no matter how social media evolves. But Instagram has made connecting with fellow filmmakers easier than ever before. See a cool post? Like or comment on it. Want to ask where someone got a certain piece of gear? Comment or send a DM. Instagram provides you all of the networking tools you need to connect with people you look up to.

Many filmmakers are already using Instagram as a way to find others to collaborate with. Stept Studios, a production house based in Los Angeles, has found over half of the crews they work with by reaching out to directors, camera assistants, and other crew directly on Instagram. Bring Light and Sound, a local production house in Austin, also uses Instagram to find cinematographers in the area and hires them for projects. Even if you’re not looking to hire crews through the platform, someone might be looking at you. And the better you brand yourself, the higher than chance there’s a filmmaker checking you out!

4. Draw Inspiration and Learn Something New

Being a great filmmaker is not something you do alone - you need the community around you. Staying inspired, knowledgeable and competitive are key to being successful in this industry, and there’s no better place to do that than on Instagram. See what other creatives are working on, what new tech they’re using, or how they’re organizing their Instagram profiles to give you some inspiration and the drive to make your work stand out.

5. Be Supportive to Your Peers

Just as how you’re benefiting from seeing others’ Instagram profiles, someone might be benefiting from seeing yours! The film community on Instagram is alive and thriving because millions of filmmakers like you are active and engaging. From posting photos and stories to tagging to commenting & sharing, the participation of the entire community allows us to enjoy the film-filled Instagram feeds we have today. In addition, Instagram is a huge resource for new young filmmakers to learn and network too. By being active on Instagram, you’re doing your part in keeping this amazing resource available for everyone to benefit from. Filmmaking is a team sport, so let’s all be great teammates.

“I really enjoy the building aspect of it all. As a 1st AC, finding pieces that go together and making a camera build more and more efficient gives me the opportunity to have fun on every production I work on. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing your creation come to life, and for me, no better job than that of a 1st AC in this world.” - Brian Aichlmayr, 1st AC.

Every once in a while, we see filmmakers push the boundaries of just how much stuff they can pack on a single rig without it tipping over to one side or being heavier than the operator carrying it. And when we see these unique builds, we just can’t help but marvel at how genius some of these are and use them as inspiration for our own setups. After all, with tools like Instagram, the film community is now more connected than ever before. We like to share our ideas.

And if you’re active on Instagram, you’ve probably heard of Brian Aichlmayr. A 1st AC based in Houston, TX, Brian is known for having some of the coolest gear shots of any filmmaker on Instagram, and is always working with the latest tech on his sets. He shares with us his path to becoming a 1st AC and his favorite camera builds of the last year.

Direction After High School

“I started in this business basically around 2010. In 2008, I graduated high school and wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do in this world. But I worked in a movie theater at the time and the Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition’s Special Features was one of my favorite things to watch. It was amazing seeing how all the fantasy came to life. So I made that filmmaking my pursuit when I went to Houston Community College.”

“In college, I got involved with general filmmaking and found a position as a grip on a indie feature produced by teachers of the school. An opportunity came up on my second feature later that year when the 1st AC didn’t show up for the day, and I was able to volunteer to fill the spot. The DP, Larry McKee was really accepting of me, and took the time to help me develop my assistant skills over the years we worked together.”

“After college, I managed to find 1st AC work on short films, indie features, industrials and reality shows that were based in the Houston area to develop my skills. The thing about Houston is, it’s the 4th largest city in the entire country, but one of the smallest film markets in relation to its size. We didn’t have instructors or schools for this kind of specialty work. Most of our learning came from professionals who traveled here from Los Angeles or New York for jobs. Larry McKee is the DP that I grew up with, and he was someone who pushed me to learn more, focus better and produce sharper images no matter the situation that presented itself before us. Theblackandblue.com was a huge resource as well and I thank Evan Luzi for committing to help others in the same field. And Instagram - seeing other ACs’ builds - following #cameraassistants, #camerarigs #1stacs and drawing inspiration helped make my rigs better.”

“When I first started out, I just wanted to get the builds built. As I got more experienced, it’s now at a point where I’m searching for ways to make the builds better, faster and more efficient. And I’m always learning about the best ways to get things done. I actually just ordered custom mounts to address problems I’ve been having with my builds, sometimes even making custom builds myself for other people to use. This is what makes the job of an AC so rewarding.”

The Black Arm

“This production was for an industrial job from a company out in Louisiana. They hired out a production company from Korea, and one thing I discovered on this job was that Korean film crews have a different setup for crews than we do. The AC role is divided into two, where one guy builds the camera package and one AC works on set for pulling focus. They hired me to build the camera, and this is what I came up with.”

“Our goal here was for the camera to capture a moving car as it drove around Downtown Houston with various links on the zoom. We mounted the RED Monstro to the Freefly MoVI XL, which was supported by the Flowcine Black Arm. We had a Bolt 3000 XT mounted to the back of the MoVI XL where the power is, and had the antennas pointed towards the other vehicle where the receiver was. The grips actually went under the car to find securing points for the speed rails that were holding the entire rig up, and we had the hood all decked out in speed rails too to support the camera. This whole setup gave the video a feel of flying through an industrial park, which is exactly what the clients were going for.”

The Slider

“This was actually from the same production as the Proton Pack. We have a Panavised Alexa LF with a 42-45mm Panavision Zoom. It’s a J.L. Fisher 10 Dolly on the bottom, with a slider at the top carrying a 61-lb. camera package. What I really liked about this setup is the Tough Gaff handle at the top, which allowed me to mount a Bolt 3000 XT on there using the ARRI Pin-Loc. We were also utilizing the Alexa LF built-in MDR for lens control with the WCU-4 with three ARRI CLM motors.

The 5-Minute Focus

“I can’t believe how quickly I tossed this thing together. Basically, they told me 5 minutes before the shoot that I had to get ready to pull focus. So I built this setup around the SmallHD 703 UltraBright monitor that includes the Teradek Sidekick II, the Heden Carat, a Bright Tangerine Titan Arm, and a coffee still in my hands. We were shooting a run-and-gun documentary about flooding for FEMA.”

Robot Eyes

“This wasn’t a crazy build, but it was definitely unique. We had an Alexa Mini with an Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm and Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom matte box on a MoVI Pro. There was a Bolt 2000 on the rig, along with these lights to simulate the look of a robot. We were shooting with a basketball player, and every time he looked up at the camera, we wanted to get a reflection of the lights on the player’s face.”

The Proton Pack

“This was was my favorite build: the proton pack. We actually built this as a custom solution to give our camera op on a skateboard a way to record with a Codex Action Camera without having to hold any of the recording gear. On the back, it has the Codex Camera’s recorder in the middle with two Anton Bauer batteries under it. The batteries are mounted to a customized carbon fiber plate, with a Teradek Bolt 3000 XT mounted to the top. The purple cable connects the recorder to the camera head, which is mounted underneath the skateboard.”

“My partner and I wanted to create a rig that was lightweight, mobile and able to mount several things as needed to put in use in any environment. In my years as an AC, I’ve seen the need for DPs to be more and more mobile with the camera. From jumping to running and squeezing into small spaces. We took this onto set for a health-based commercial, which I can’t talk specifically about yet because we’re still under NDA. But we basically had the Codex Camera mounted to the skateboard, pointing and shooting another skateboarder for a commercial on staying active. There’s also a scene where we had the camera mounted to a football player’s helmet.”

Live streaming can be a great way for events and brands to reach people, but for many, the costs of producing a professional live stream make them too prohibitive. You need to find a crew, camera gear, broadcast gear, and a reliable Internet source. Sure, live streaming has bridged the gap between individuals and broadcasting and made live content much more affordable, but creating a full-on live production with multiple cameras, live switching and other features can really add up.

So instead, Port Side Productions opted for another solution. Live:Air Action is a free switching app available for iPads that makes multi-camera live streaming free and easy for anyone to do. Using WiFi, it connects up to 6 iOS/Android phones (with the Live:Air Remote app) together so you can switch between any of the phone cameras and live stream directly from your iPad. It also allows for custom graphics and video files to be imported directly from the iPad’s camera roll for later playback.

Port Side Productions is a film production house based in Bellingham, WA. They share with us the kinds of projects they work on, and how they utilized Live:Air Action to produce a flawless multi-camera live stream for a band all from the convenience of their iOS devices.

Adventure Film Company

“We do a whole smattering of different productions, but we specialize in working with outdoor and adventure brands. When a lot of people think of adventure, they think of epic travels in the wilderness with big landscapes, hikes and rock climbing. That’s exactly what we do. We take that type of imagery and craft films that evoke emotions and create the desire to live life as an adventurer.” - Ryan Hamilton, Creative Director at Port Side.

“The company is really just a 2-man show between me and the founder, Cole Heilborn. We work with clients like Cascadia Vehicle Tents, ENO Hammocks, and recently with Marquette Castings for a series of educational videos on their cast-iron skillets. We came up with the casting, scriptwriting, production, and post-production too. We both grew up in the outdoors, and we’ve combined our love for that with our passion for film and turned it into something we love doing every day.”

The Setup

“The city of Seattle has a very vibrant music scene, and my brother Andrew Hamilton performs in a band called Simple Gravity. We wanted to try something that could help the band expand their audience and reach people in a setting that was different than performing in a club or bar. A lot of people aren’t able to attend these types concerts in person, whether they have kids, are under 21 and can’t get into bars, or any reason. So we decided to live stream to get their music to their fans.”

4x iPhones

2x on tripods

1x on friction arm on C stand

1x on DJI Osmo Mobile

1x iPad Pro 13”

1x iPhone for 4G LTE hotspot

Each iPhone had the Live:Air Remote app loaded, which allowed for video feeds from the phones to populate on the Live:Air Action control surface. From the iPad, Ryan streamed over a 4G LTE hotspot directly to the band’s Facebook Page, and live switched between cameras over the course of the broadcast. The band brought a separate audio tech, who ported all the audio into a soundboard and fed a single audio source into Live:Air Action, ensuring the music didn’t sound different with every camera angle.

“Using iPhones was very convenient for this kind of setup. Smartphones are so small that we could move them anywhere in the tiny space that we had, and the DJI Osmo gimbal doesn’t take up nearly as much space as a Ronin would. It makes for an ideal live streaming setup in any small environment.”

“It was pretty intimidating trying a live switching setup at first, but as I sat down and learned the tools, it was actually super intuitive and easy to pick up. I think in just a few minutes, we were able to figure out all of the controls. It’s a tool we’ll always have for any future live events.”

We’re clearing out all of our demo, display, and discontinued gear at heavily reduced prices. Stop by and save on your favorite Teradek, Wooden Camera, SmallHD, and Paralinx products.

CSLA is our retail location where filmmakers can shop, learn, and get support for all Creative Solutions products. Want to check out the newest products? Or need something for your shoot tomorrow? Our store is outfitted with everything you need for your next production.

Oh, and we also host filmmaker parties too! Sign up below to receive invitations for future events.

Join the Creative Solutions email list to get exclusive discounts, new product updates, and more.

We’re excited to announce major upgrades to our Core management platform. The Core interface has undergone a complete remodeling to be more user friendly and offer you even more insight into each of your video streams. New features such as automatic failover and 3rd party encoder support have been added, along with a new pricing structure that is adaptable to more users’ streaming strategies.

If you’re an active user of Core, you’ve probably already noticed the changes on the Core interface and new additional features. For people who haven’t tried out Core yet, here’s a brief introduction.

What Is It?

CORE is Teradek’s cloud-based streaming management platform designed to enhance and simplify your IP video workflow. Any Teradek encoder (excluding VidiU and VidiU Pro) is capable of streaming to CORE, giving them access to multi-destination delivery, remote configuration, monitoring and HEVC/AVC transcoding. Since the service is cloud-based, users can access the platform from anywhere in the world.

Features

Multi-Destination Streaming

Stream to an unlimited number of destinations at the same time, including online video platforms or decoders for point-to-point. This works by sending a single video feed from a Teradek encoder to Core, which can be duplicated and distributed to as many destinations as you want including multiple Facebook Pages, YouTube channels, Twitch channels and more.

Remote Configuration / Monitoring

Since CORE is hosted in the cloud, your streams can be accessed from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. This is perfect for those seeking to configure Teradek encoders remotely (resolution, bitrate, FPS) or monitor footage captured by your team while you’re away.

Archiving in the Cloud

Record your live streams directly to your Core account, which can be accessed and downloaded from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Perfect for creating post-broadcast on demand videos or simply saving for personal use.

Transcoding HEVC > AVC

Our latest encoders feature cutting-edge HEVC compression that can save you a ton of bandwidth while streaming, which translates into money saved. HEVC is the next-generation compression standard that achieves higher video quality at the same bitrate, or the same video quality at half the bitrate.

Most live platforms haven’t adopted the new compression yet, but Core allows you to transcode HEVC into the widely accepted AVC format. This means you can stream a 1080p video at 2Mbps to Core and deliver the video to as many live platforms as you want in H.264. Save money on data, especially when you’re streaming using 4G LTE cellular in the field.

New Features

Core 2.0 introduces some brand new functions to make your streams go even further. Designed for advanced users with special requirements, these 2 cloud-hosted servers can be subscribed to for an additional cost:

Sputnik Engine ($75/month)

Static IP Addresses & Port Management - set a static IP and manage ports to stream through firewalls more easily.

MPEG-TS Server - allows the user to pull live video from Core into VLC or another decoder.

Recording - inbound streams can be saved as files and pushed to cloud storage in real time. These archived streams can be accessed from anywhere at any time.

Custom Worldwide Ingest and End Points - set regions where your device is ingested and output to keep latency down and ensure a reliable stream.

3rd Party Encoder Ingest - bring in video feeds using encoders from any other brand via RTMP, SRT or MPEG-TS protocols. This allows you to use encoders you already own alongside Teradek encoders and decoders.

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https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/5-reasons-to-stream-with-vidiu-go-for-your-next-event2019-01-16T18:04:00-08:002019-04-03T11:23:55-07:005 Reasons to Stream with VidiU Go For Your Next EventAndy Cheng

VidiU Go is our newest live streaming encoder built for businesses, freelancers and enthusiasts seeking the cutting edge of broadcast technology. You might be thinking, ‘another streaming device? There are already so many!’ And you’d be right - live streaming products are abundant and the market is saturated with devices that send live video to online CDNs. What makes the VidiU Go different?

Internet connectivity is the biggest challenge when it comes to delivering a high quality live stream, and the VidiU Go provides a solution for that: network bonding. Bonding combines all of the VidiU Go’s Internet sources (two 4G LTE USB modems, Ethernet and WiFi) into a single, robust connection so you can stream with rock-solid dependability. The added redundancy allows you to stream seamlessly in the event of any network issues, meaning you can go live from just about anywhere without having to worry about connectivity.

If you need the strongest cellular reception for your streams, VidiU Go also comes with optional Nodes - high-powered 4G LTE USB modems that offer superior signal strength compared to carrier-branded modems and designed to fit seamlessly to the sides of the VidiU Go. Want to stream right out of the box? Deluxe kits include everything you need, including two Telna SIM cards that are ready for activation. Telna SIMs are Node-compatible, have no long-term contracts, and use multiple major carrier networks to give you the best reception everywhere, all while offering the convenience of a single provider.

But VidiU Go is not just a bonding encoder. The new VidiU Go offers the next generation of video compression, HEVC/H.265, which allows you to either take your video quality to the next level, or save 50% of the required bandwidth of AVC video streams.

Russ Lichterman, Director of Educational Technology & Multimedia at Wilmington University, is a VidiU Go early adopter and streams often for campus events. He shared his first impressions:

"We stream many campus events that our university hosts, including guest speakers, panel discussions, commencements, and more. Failure is not an option for our students and their families, so we use only the most reliable encoder for our productions: VidiU Go. With built-in cellular bonding and data-saving HEVC compression, we never have to worry about getting rock-solid Internet when we go live. We can stream high-def video wherever the action is.”

Want to see if VidiU Go is right for you? Here are 4 reasons to consider it:

1. Stream Reliably, Wherever You Need To Be

Whether you’re a news broadcaster, live production company or even a freelancer, you know that events can happen at any location, including locations that offer little-to-no options for getting a reliable broadband connection for streaming (conventions, news conferences, remote areas like deserts or mountains). But if that’s where the content is, you need a way to stream it.

With VidiU Go’s network bonding feature, you don’t need to worry. Network bonding allows you to stream from just about anywhere with a 4G LTE connection. Simply connect two USB modems to the sides of the VidiU Go, connect the device to Core (more info below), and you’re ready to go live wherever you are. Also, with the addition of HEVC/H.265, you won’t even need much data to stream HD video from these locations. It’s an excellent way to not just stream reliably, but also save data on the uplink.

A subscription to Core is required for network bonding, which we’ll explain more of below. Also, while most live platforms don’t support HEVC video yet, Core includes a transcoding tool that converts HEVC to AVC, allowing you to conserve a ton of data while delivering pristine video to your viewers.

2. Do More in the Cloud

Core is our optional stream management platform that acts as the infrastructure for many additional streaming features. Let’s look at the features below-

Multi-destination streaming - Core allows you to take your single stream and distribute it among as many platforms and pages as you want. Multiple Facebook Pages, YouTube, Periscope, Custom RTMP streaming servers - wherever you need to go. Simply add your login credentials and you’re ready to publish.

Transcoding - since most social media platforms don’t support HEVC yet, Core allows you to transcode HEVC video to AVC, which is the current standard accepted by all platforms. This translates into saving a ton of data for every broadcast, allowing you to stream longer without worrying about data usage.

Bonding - for VidiU Go, combine up to two 4G LTE USB modems, Ethernet and WiFi into a robust connection so you can stream reliably from anywhere. Core provides the infrastructure for this to work.

Monitoring - need to view your streams from the station? On the go and need to view them from your phone? Core is hosted in the cloud, which means you can monitor your streams from anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection.

Core works on a pay-as-you-go structure where costs are calculated based on data usage. If you want to use VidiU Go’s bonding or HEVC transcoding feature, an account with Core is required. Luckily, you get access to all of Core’s amazing features in one interface. Also, you can do everything from the convenience of your smartphone with the Core App for iOS.

These days, brands and organizations want to reach as many viewers as possible, which means you have to get your content to as many platforms as possible. For the 2017 Solar Eclipse, Teradek worked closely with NASA to publish their special program to 18 different online destinations at the same time, totaling at 86 million views. The truth is, there are so many viewers scattered on different platforms these days. In order to reach them, you need to go to where they are.

With Core, you can publish a single stream to as many destinations as you want. Whether you’re going to different platforms, multiple Facebook Pages, YouTube channels, or RTMP destinations, send your live feed from VidiU Go to Core and distribute it through the simple drag-and-drop interface. Every feed can also be controlled independently so you can start and stop streams at any time.

4. Works On Your Camera or Your Switcher

In the field or in the studio, VidiU Go’s SDI/HDMI dual input makes it the perfect live streaming device for being taken onto any production. VidiU Go also comes in an HDMI-only version, making for the most affordable HEVC-enabled live streaming device in the industry.

Stream in the field using anything from camcorders to broadcast cameras, or incorporate it into your studio setup by connecting it to your switcher.

5. Ready to Go Live Instantly

Things can happen at a moment’s notice, so you always want to be prepared to go live. VidiU Go can go from boot-up to ready in just 10 seconds, helping you go live in just a moment’s notice.

If you need to re-configure your VidiU Go, don’t worry. The Go’s free iOS/Android App allows you to change settings on a whim and monitor everything from your phone. No need to fiddle with the OLED screen or wait to connect on a laptop. With the VidiU App, you can always be on-the-go.